William praises homelessness charity he visited with Diana as a child

Prince William has praised the work of homelessness charity The Passage and said he was 'deeply moved' by visiting the charity as a child with Princess Diana.

The Prince of Wales, 41, shared a video explaining the 'great work' the charity does,  including 'life-changing' work to prevent homelessness and human trafficking, which was posted on Twitter on ICAP's 31st Charity Day. 

'Having a place to call home is such a precious thing.  Each and every day the Passage work tirelessly to achieve a society where homelessness doesn't exist and where everyone has a place to call home,' he said.

He also praised ICAP for raising £160 million due to their charity days and said the funds help Passage to move the issue of homelessness from something 'just managed' to 'something completely prevented'.

William is a keen advocate of homelessness prevention, and this week was spotted selling The Big Issue in west London. 

 The future king donned his red cap and jacket to sell the magazine to people outside Tesco in Hammersmith with vendor Dave Martin, 61, who has been a friend of the royal since they hit the streets selling Big Issue copies together 18 months ago, with the pair even swapping Christmas cards. 

The prince launched his Homewards project this year to end homelessness and has been campaigning for rough sleepers since his mother Princess Diana took him out on the streets when he was a child. 

His visit to Tesco with Dave follows a similar trip out with the Big Issue vendor back in 2022 to mark the future King's 40th birthday. 

On that occasion, William sold 32 copies of the Big Issue in less than an hour as he spent the day on the streets of Victoria, London. 

He also wrote for the magazine, explaining he wanted to shine a light on the issue of homelessness, recalling when he first visited a homeless shelter with his mother, the Princess of Wales. He added that Diana, 'in her own inimitable style, was determined to shine a light on an overlooked, misunderstood problem'.

He even said he plans to take his children Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five, to see the work of 'fantastic' organisations he works with 'just as my mother did for me'.

In June, William set his sights on making rough sleeping, sofa surfing and other forms of temporary accommodation a 'rare, brief and unrepeated' issue.

The royal has taken inspiration from Finland, where the problem of homelessness has been virtually eradicated, with his new initiative called Homewards.

The future king has become increasingly passionate about the issue of homeless in the UK - having been first taken to visit the charity The Passage by his late mother Princess Diana.

William's new five-year project will focus on six locations to begin with and local businesses, organisations and individuals will be encouraged to join forces and develop 'bespoke' action plans to tackle homelessness with up to £500,000 in funding.

William spoke in his first interview since becoming the Prince of Wales, and used it to explain that he is determined to 'make a difference... that doesn't set people up that are homeless for another fall'. 

The 130,000-acre Duchy of Cornwall spans from Cornwall to Kent and includes estates in Newquay and Dorchester which comprise of a mix of private and some affordable housing.

When asked by the Sunday Times whether there are plans for affordable homes on Duchy land, William said: 'Absolutely. Social housing. You'll see that when it's ready. I'm no policy expert, but I push it where I can.'

Described by the paper as a 'curveball' which aides were not expecting, William indicated that he will 'start small' with the housing and if the scheme does well will look to increase the amount available.

William said: 'It's all very well doing big gestures, but there's no point if... there's no future to it.'

William's appearance comes after a week of drama for the Royal Family following the explosive accusations by author Omid Scobie, whose new book named the Princess of Wales and King Charles as the alleged 'royal racists' who questioned what skin colour Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's son, Archie, would have before he was born. 

Neither Buckingham Palace or the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have commented on any of the allegations by 'fantasist' Scobie - revealed in the Dutch version of his 400-page tome, with the Firm instead appearing to stick by the age-old royal dictate of 'never complain, never explain'. 

This week, William seemed untroubled by the drama as he smiled and spoke to shoppers while doing his bit to help the homeless. 

Among those witnessing the royal in action was father-to-be Oliver Kempton, who popped out of his office to buy a sandwich from Tesco - and went back with a stunning picture of himself with the future King of England.

Oliver literally bumped into the prince, after buying a copy, posed up with William.

'To be honest I was speechless when I realised the Big Issue seller I was talking to was the Prince of Wales. He happily posed up with me for my colleague to take our picture - it is something I will be able to share with all the family.

The 33-year-old, who works in advertising and is the son of a retired senior ambulance chief, is to become a father in February.

'It is the first time I have met royalty - the photo is something I'll be able to show my new-born when they are a bit older,' he added.

The prince launched his Homewards project this year to end homelessness and has been campaigning for rough sleepers since his mother Princess Diana took him out on the streets when he was a child.