Prince William has made touching new comments about his late mother, Princess Diana, and spoken candidly of her “disappointment”.
The royal is set to make a special appearance for Comic Relief when the show returns on Friday night.
The programme will air a film featuring William in which he will shine a light on the stark realities of homelessness – a cause that was close to his mother’s heart.
“My mother introduced me to the cause of homelessness from quite a young age, and I’m really glad she did,” he later says. “I think she would be disappointed that we are still no further on in terms of tackling homelessness and preventing it than when she was interested and involved in it.”
The issue of homelessness was important to Diana – something she passed on to her eldest son. William is the patron of Centrepoint, another youth homeless charity centre in the UK, and The Passage, and he in turn is keen to get his own children involved.
Writing in the Big Issue last year, William spoke about an eye-opening trip to a homeless shelter with his mum when he was 11.
He said he would do the same with his children “as my mother did for me”.
“Ever since I came here with my mother, homelessness has stuck with me as an issue I want to fight for. I’ve done everything I can to raise the profile of the homeless, and I want to do a lot more,” the father of three said.
“While I may seem like one of the most unlikely advocates for this cause, I have always believed in using my platform to help tell those stories and to bring attention and action to those who are struggling.”
Speaking ahead of his 40th birthday in June, the Prince added that he felt it was a good time to “highlight something that matters to me”.
“So, for my part, I commit to continue doing what I can to shine a spotlight on this solvable issue not just today, but in the months and years to come,” he said.
“And in the years ahead, I hope to bring George, Charlotte and Louis to see the fantastic organisations doing inspiring work to support those most in need – just as my mother did for me.”
