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Royal fans said Prince William makes them ‘proud to be British’ after the ‘down-to-earth’ royal released a new video to promote his Homewards campaign.
This afternoon, a three-minute video featuring footage from Prince William’s recent UK tour was uploaded onto the Prince and Princess of Wales’ official YouTube account.
Last month, Prince William kick-started the Homewards initiative – which aims to make 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.
To kickstart the campaign, the Prince of Wales visited six UK cities in 48 hours – where he met with members of the public, charities and his celebrity ambassadors, including footballer Tyrone Ming.
Prince William is leaving fans ‘proud to be British’ thanks to his latest initiatives in tackling homelessness
Footage from the new video shows the royal’s work in setting up the scheme and also hears from other advocates involved in bringing it to life.
Recording a voiceover for the video, Prince William said: ‘I am pleased to stand here today at the start of our path to ending homelessness.
‘Over the next five years, we have a unique opportunity to develop innovative new solutions and scale their tangible impact.’
The video shows the royal sharing a laugh with baristas working at one of the charities he visited and speaking with members of the public who have been affected by this issue.
After shooting hoops with the royal, Tyrone Mings – who experienced homelessness as a child – said during the Sheffield visit last month: ‘Being here is surreal.
‘The energy here is absolutely amazing. We can all learn so much from some of the local leaders that are here.’
The clip has amassed over 5,700 views and 1,300 ‘likes’ since it was uploaded this afternoon – and royal fans were full of praise for William’s new initiative.
‘This makes me feel so proud to be British and I am so proud of our Prince and Princess of Wales,’ one supporter wrote. ‘They are both so relatable and down to earth.’
A recent video posted on the Prince and Princess of Wales’s YouTube channel, which promotes the launch of Homewards – a ‘five-year, locally-led programme which will demonstrate that together, it is possible to end homelessness’ – has struck a chord with audiences
Viewers learning about the project were full of compliments for the future King, 41, praising his work in the space
‘I have nothing but respect for our Prince & Princess of Wales,’ a second added. ‘Thank you, Sir for all you do for our country & the Commonwealth.’
‘Absolute respect to Prince William and all who are involved in this exceptional initiative,’ another remarked.
‘Honouring his dear mother with his work with the homeless and his father with the environment and the fabulous EarthShot prize, William must be a source of great pride for both his parents.’
Elsewhere a comment read: ‘Respect the people and respect will be returned! Cheers to the Wales, may their endeavours have great success!’
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.
The future king has become increasingly passionate about the issue of homelessness in the UK – having been first taken to visit the charity The Passage by his late mother Princess Diana.
Announcing his new project earlier this summer, he said: ‘In a modern and progressive society, everyone should have a safe and secure home, be treated with dignity and given the support they need.
‘Through Homewards, I want to make this a reality and over the next five years, give people across the UK hope that homelessness can be prevented when we collaborate.’
Footage shows the royal’s work in setting up the scheme as it hears from other advocates involved in bringing it to life
The future king has become increasingly passionate about the issue of homeless ness in the UK
According to the charity Crisis, which is partnering with Homewards, there are an estimated 300,000 people currently experiencing homelessness in the UK
Ahead of the campaign launch, Prince William met with footballers David Duke and Tyrone Mings, firefighter Sabrina Cohen-Hatton and TV star Gail Porter – who have all experienced homelessness.
He continued: ‘I am fortunate to have seen first-hand the tireless work of people and organisations across the sector, the tangible impact their efforts can have and what can be done when communities are able to focus on preventing homelessness, rather than managing it.
‘It’s a big task, but I firmly believe that by working together it is possible to make homelessness rare, brief, and unrepeated and I am very much looking forward to working with our six locations to make our ambition a reality.’
The six chosen areas, which includes one in London, were selected after a bidding process and the findings and results of the initiative will be used to create models that can adopted by other parts of the UK.
Prince William listens as he meets with Tyrone Mings, Gail Porter, Sabrina Cohen-Hatton and David Duke, ahead of the launch of Homewards
Prince William pictured with Tyrone Mings, Sabrina Cohen-Hatton, Gail Porter and David Duke – who have experiences of homelessness and have pledged to support Homewards
Pictured: Princess Diana took sons Prince William and Prince Harry to visit the homelessness charity The Passage in the 1990s
According to the charity Crisis, which is partnering with Homewards, there are an estimated 300,000 people currently experiencing homelessness in the UK.
The charity’s chief executive Matt Downie cited a ‘severe shortage of genuinely affordable homes,’ rising rents, the increasing cost of living, years of low wages and insecure work as some of the factors which have contributed to this issue.
He said: ‘Homelessness is not inevitable, as a provider of services to thousands of people across Britain every year.
‘We know that in most cases it’s preventable, and in every case it can be ended.’
‘The best way to tackle homelessness is to stop it happening in the first place. We’ve seen it in other countries such as Finland, where homelessness is all but ended, and we’ve seen it when we follow innovative programmes that give people housing first.
‘We know we can do the same here with the right choices and by working together.
‘With levels of homelessness only set to increase innovative programmes like Homewards are more necessary than ever.’
A new survey commissioned by the Royal Foundation revealed one in five of 3,473 adults questioned in May have some personal experience of homelessness either directly (9%) or via family (8%) or friends (7%).
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