In a new documentary titled Prince William: We Can End Homelessness, the Prince of Wales shares personal stories about his late mother Princess Diana, and his brother Prince Harry.
Princess Diana's support of The Passage, a homelessness charity, had a profound effect on Prince William as a child. "When I was very small, my mother started talking about homelessness, much like I do now with my children on the school run," he revealed in a new clip from the ITV and ITVX documentary.
"My mother took me to The Passage," William explained. "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."
Diana's ineffable support of charities like The Passage had a huge impact on both William and Harry, and led to both brothers becoming staunch advocates for charity work.
Discussing his earliest visit to The Passage, William revealed during the documentary, "My mother went about her usual part of making everyone feel relaxed, and having a laugh and joking with everyone." He continued, "I remember at the time, kind of thinking, well, if everyone's not got a home, they're all going to be really sad."
William was also struck by "how happy an environment" there was at The Passage, which provides support for unhoused individuals in London.
"I remember having some good conversations—just playing chess and chatting," William recalled of a visit to the charity as a child. "That’s when it dawned on me that there are other people out there who don't have the same life as you do."
The Prince of Wales has since dedicated himself to attempting to end homelessness, and even became the royal patron of The Passage.
"I feel, with my position and my platform, I should be delivering change," William explained. "I've spent enough time learning and listening to what people have been through that I feel almost guilty every time I leave that I'm not doing more to help."
As a result, the Prince of Wales said he's "compelled to act" to make other people's lives better. "Building a project is the only way I can see, at the moment, to try and alleviate [the problem], and help people who are in a much less fortunate, or in a very difficult, situation," he explained.
Prince William: We Can End Homelessness airs 30th and 31st October at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX, STV and STV Player
