Prince William has been spotted quietly selling the Big Issue on the streets of London by a passerby who was shocked to meet the unassuming royal.
Dressed in the magazine's red gilet and baseball cap, the Duke of Cambridge was doing his bit for the charity when he was seen from across the road yesterday.
Retired Met Police chief superintendent Matthew Gardner shared photos of William on his Linkedin account after his brother-in-law's chance encounter with the heir to the throne in Westminster.
Mr Gardener said: "My brother-in-law was in London today and saw a celebrity, so he took a photo at a distance.
"The celebrity saw the ‘covert surveillance’ effort and crossed the road to investigate further.
"What an honour to have a private moment with our future king who was humble and working quietly in the background, helping the most needy.
"These ‘silent gestures’ often go unrecognised."
Going on to explain the encounter more, Mr Gardener said his brother-in-law didn't get away without putting his hand in his pocket.
He added: "The finale to this unique occasion was when Prince William asked my brother-in-law If he wanted to buy the Big Issue, to which he replied “I have no change”.
"At this point William produced a mobile card machine… you cannot teach that!
"Priceless, or should I say ‘princely’."
Prince William and wife Kate have previously spoken of their involvement with charities close to their heart, and often inspired by his mother, the late Princess Diana.
In 2014 he visited homeless charity Centrepoint and in 2018, he and wife Kate went to The Passage homeless centre in Westminster.
William previously revealed how his mum had taken him to the Passage when he was just 12 years old with brother Prince Harry.
Princess Diana made homelessness her first charitable priority after joining the Royal Family, and was not afraid to meet those directly affected.
A picture taken in 1994 shows the young princes sitting with their mum and engaging with service users at The Passage.
Responding to the picture of Prince William selling the big issue, one royal fan gushed: "Love this! Prince William really is the best! He will be a great King."
While fan Celine added: "Prince William is such a gem."
And royal watcher Fi agreed: "Nice one William."
While Susan added: "He is his mother’s son! Well done William."
As second in line to the throne, after his father Prince Charles, William had a major role in the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations over the four-day bank holiday weekend.
He appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony with his grandmother, his wife Kate and their three children, George, Charlotte and Louis twice during the event, visited Wales to meet people taking part in the celebrations and was a guest for the party at the palace concert on Saturday night.
He was also among the VIPs at the pageant on Sunday, where a restless Prince Louis stole the limelight.
The four-year-old was seen standing on his chair, waving his hands in the air, wriggling around and sticking his finger in his ear during the show.
He even blew raspberries at his mum before running down to sit on Prince Charles' lap.
