Prince William has expressed his anticipation for his first public engagement since spending the summer with Princess Kate and their children. The Prince of Wales, 42, is set to visit a pioneering homelessness exhibition featuring artwork by former rough sleepers on Thursday.
Before the event, William shared a video about the exhibition on the official Instagram account of the Prince and Princess of Wales, writing: “Looking forward to today’s visit to @homewardsuk’s Homelessness: Reframed exhibition at @saatchi_gallery.”
Launched in June 2023, the Prince’s Homewards initiative seeks to tackle homelessness and is behind this new art exhibition. The display includes sculptures, photographs, and repurposed everyday objects, all created by artists with personal experiences of homelessness, aiming to offer fresh insights into the issue.
The exhibition, running until September 20, features works by renowned photographer Rankin and emerging artists. During his visit, William will meet some of the artists and young people who contributed to the artwork, including David Tovey, who created “Home 2013,” a shed-like structure made from metal scraps and car panels, reflecting his six-month experience living in a car.
Mick Clarke, CEO of The Passage, a homelessness charity that supports the Homewards initiative, praised the exhibition for highlighting homelessness as a preventable issue rather than an unavoidable one. He noted that the exhibition not only depicts the journey of homelessness and its trauma but also the positive outcomes that can follow.
William’s visit comes as his children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, return to their studies at Lambrook School following the summer holidays. The family spent the break at their Norfolk home, Anmer Hall, and joined King Charles and Queen Camilla at Balmoral in Scotland.
