Unseen pictures of young Prince William with Princess Diana at homeless shelter surface

Prince William's Homewards initiative, launched in June 2023, is the focus of a new documentary. The program, spearheaded by the prince and his Royal Foundation, aims to demonstrate that homelessness can be ended. Homewards is a five-year project targeting six key locations in the UK.

Prince William has announced a new documentary titled "Prince William: We Can End Homelessness." The documentary includes photos from his early years, showing a young Prince William with his mother, Princess Diana, and his younger brother, Prince Harry.

Prince William recently reflected on a significant memory from his childhood. When he was just 11 years old, his mother, Princess Diana, took him to visit a homeless shelter.

The visit had a lasting impact on William, exposing him to a different way of life. He shared, "The visit opened my eyes to how others lived a different life to him."

This early experience played a role in shaping William's understanding and awareness of social issues.

Prince William credits Princess Diana for her dedication to addressing homelessness. In an upcoming documentary this week, he shared how his mother, Princess Diana, introduced him and his brother, Prince Harry, to various social issues. Diana was committed to raising awareness about issues such as AIDS and mental health.

"I'd never been to anything like that before, and I was a bit anxious as to what to expect. My mother went about her usual part of making everyone feel relaxed and having a laugh and joking with everyone," William said of the 1993 visit to The Passage charity in London.

Last June, the elder son of King Charles launched a five-year project "Homewards" which he said was inspired by Diana.

Homeless charities say it is hard to know exactly how many people are living on the streets but statistics released this month said 178,560 households were assessed as homeless in England in 2023-24, up 12.3% on the year before.

He recalled during his visit to The Passage playing chess and chatting with those there.

"That's when it informed me that there are other people out there who don't have the same life as you do," he says in the documentary. "When you're quite small ... you just think life is what you see in front of you. You don't really have concept to look elsewhere.

"And it's when you meet people that I did then who put a different perspective in your head and say ... I was living on the street last night."

Prince William’s Homewards initiative, backed by his Royal Foundation, focuses on addressing homelessness. Launched in June 2023, this five-year project targets six key locations across the UK.

"Homewards aims to prove that it is possible to end homelessness," the prince said. The documentary, which was filmed over a year, showcases the early stages of the initiative.