Today (1 July) would have been the late Princess Diana's 65th birthday, and her eldest son, Prince William, has honoured her memory by supporting a cause close to her heart; homelessness. Princess Diana was a firm supporter of a number of causes, and used to take her children (Prince William and Prince Harry) to visit homelessness charities, so they could understand the issue and see the important work being done. Now, Prince William is continuing her legacy, and began what would have been her birthday week at a housing project in Scotland.
On Monday (30 June), Prince William was in Aberdeen with Homewards, a homelessness organisation he spearheads through The Royal Foundation. Among other commitments, the charity supports housing in six areas, and Prince William was on hand at one of them - Langstane Housing Association - as homes delivered through the city’s Innovative Housing Project were completed.
It was all hands on deck to get everything set up, with Prince William helping carry chairs and distribute household appliances and supplies. The Prince said it had been a 'pleasure' to be there, and to help 'prepare welcome packages filled with the essential items that help people settle in and feel at home.' He shared photos and a video montage of the day, captioning one of the posts, 'A home to come back to.'
Prince William has reflected a number of times on the legacy of his mother, Princess Diana, and the influence visiting homelessness charities like The Passage had on him. For instance, in a special ITV documentary, Prince William: We Can End Homelessness in 2024, he said, 'My mother took me to The Passage. She took Harry and I both there. I must have been about 11, I think, probably, at the time. Maybe 10. I’d never been to anything like that before. And I was a bit anxious as to what to expect.'
While presuming it might be a sad place to visit, the Prince said he was surprised to find this wasn't the case. 'It was incredible how happy an environment it was,' he said. Recalling the visits, he explained how Princess Diana 'went about her usual part of making everyone feel relaxed, and having a laugh and joking with everyone.'
Prince William also added that, as a child, his mother would talk to him about difficult issues; something he's taken onboard with his own children. 'When I was very small, my mother started talking about homelessness, much like I do now with my children on the school run,' he said.
