Prince William, Prince of Wales, is opening up about teaching his children—Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis—about homelessness, following in the footsteps of his late mother, Princess Diana. In a candid new documentary, Prince William: We Can End Homelessness, the royal shares how he and his wife, Kate Middleton, are helping their children understand the challenges faced by the unhoused and the importance of compassion.
The two-part documentary, set to air on ITV on October 30 and 31, captures Prince William’s journey in launching and leading the Homewards program, a five-year initiative focused on tackling homelessness in six U.K. communities. Homewards, which was launched in June 2023, aims to demonstrate that homelessness can be rare, brief, and ultimately preventable.
Prince William discussed how he first broached the subject of homelessness with his children. He explained that he began casually introducing the topic on the school run, allowing them to notice and question what they saw around them. “The first few times, I thought, ‘Do I bring this up or should I wait to see if they notice?’” he recalled. “Sure enough, they did.” When he explained what they were witnessing, his children responded with silent understanding, marking the beginning of meaningful discussions about the world around them.
The Prince believes these conversations are essential for his children’s understanding of society. “It’s really important that you start these conversations when the children are small so they understand the world around them, rather than just living in their own worlds,” he said.
Reflecting on his childhood, Prince William credits his late mother, Princess Diana, with instilling a compassionate perspective on homelessness in him and his brother, Prince Harry. Diana often took her young sons to shelters, including The Passage, a homeless charity in London, and openly discussed why some people ended up on the streets. William recalls his first visit to The Passage with his mother when he was about ten years old, saying he initially felt nervous but was reassured by his mother’s warmth and laughter as she interacted with the shelter residents. “I remember thinking, ‘If everyone doesn’t have a home, they’re all going to be really sad.’ But it was incredible how happy an environment it was,” he said.
This exposure at a young age left a profound impact on William, shaping his commitment to charitable work. Today, he continues Diana’s legacy by serving as a patron for both Centrepoint, a leading youth homelessness charity, and The Passage. William hopes to involve his own children in this work as they grow older, introducing them to the causes he is passionate about when it fits their school schedules and daily lives.
During an interview with The Sunday Times in June 2023, William shared that his family often talks about people they see on the streets while driving through London. “We talk about what we see,” he said. “When we were in London, driving backwards and forwards, we regularly used to see people sitting outside supermarkets and we’d talk about it.”
For Prince William, exposing his children to these realities is a way of nurturing empathy and understanding. “They grow up knowing that, actually, some of us are very fortunate, some of us need a helping hand, and some of us need to do a bit more where we can to help others improve their lives,” he said.
The documentary, directed by BAFTA-winning filmmaker Leo Burley, features intimate moments from Prince William’s Homewards journey and shines a light on the lives of those affected by homelessness. Through its funding, the Homewards initiative has committed £3 million ($3.8 million) to six U.K. communities, aiming to make homelessness “rare, brief, and unrepeated.” In partnership with community leaders, the program offers a model for other areas in the U.K. to reduce homelessness by providing long-term, sustainable solutions.
With Prince William: We Can End Homelessness, the Prince of Wales hopes to inspire meaningful conversations and action, showing that homelessness is a solvable issue. As he carries on his mother’s compassionate legacy, he is instilling the same values in his children, aiming to raise a new generation of royals who are not only aware of social issues but actively engaged in creating solutions.
