Prince William has made waves with his new endeavors, showing “courage” by taking the risk of failure, but much of the credit for his growth as a person goes to his late mother.
One royal expert said it was a bold move by Prince William, considering his Homewards initiative aimed at tackling the UK’s homelessness crisis was doomed to fail given the enormous challenges tackling homelessness poses.
While the future king is a vocal advocate for mental health and environmental issues, his passion for supporting homeless charities dates back to his youth. His mother, the late Princess Diana of Wales, frequently took him and Prince Harry to visit organisations such as Centrepoint.
Two years in the making and a five-year project, the project will mark its first anniversary on June 26th. The study aims to prove that a collective effort can make homelessness “rare, short-lived and special”.
“This is a bloody ambitious project. It aims to show that it is possible to end homelessness, something no government has ever attempted before,” Jenny Bond, a former BBC royal correspondent and veteran, told OK!. “To me, this seems like a clever business plan: start in six places, use local knowledge and collaboration, and create a model that can be expanded if successful.
Prince William’s forward-thinking approach to tackling social issues has won him over.” The praise Jenny brought, despite facing the challenges posed by Kate’s health condition. She said, “I admire how William tackles social issues in a fresh and modern way, and remains as engaged as he can despite the pressures of Kate’s illness.”
Jenny praised William’s selective focus, saying: Her strategy of focusing on a small number of issues, rather than simply putting her name forward to an incredible number of charities, has worked.”
She also highlights Prince William’s longstanding commitment to fighting homelessness, a cause that was very close to his heart and one he shared with his late mother, Princess Diana. Jenny says, “His mother made him aware of the devastation of homelessness at an early age,” and that “he experienced first-hand what it felt like to be taken to a homeless shelter and be beaten down.”
Jenny reflects on Princess Diana’s lasting impact, acknowledging: “And on his determination to bring about real change in our society. It takes courage to decide that you might fail.” It’s a big task but it’s good to see William trying to make a difference.”
Prince William has revealed his plans to educate his children about homelessness. In an interview with The Sunday Times, he said he wants them to understand that “some of us need help”.
He said: “One of the things I was thinking about this morning as I was leaving was when would be the right time to take George, Charlotte and Louis to a homeless charity.
On our way to school we talk about what we see. As we drive to and from London we often see people sitting outside supermarkets and we’ve had a discussion about that. What’s going on?’ I think it’s in our interest and it’s the right thing to do, to make sure that we’re paying attention to them and understanding them at the right stage with the right dialogue.”
“They’ll grow up knowing that. Some of us are very lucky, some of us need a little bit of help, some of us need to do a little bit more to improve the lives of others.”