Prince William shocked passers-by when he was recently spotted selling The Big Issue on a busy London street.
And ahead of his 40th birthday tomorrow, he has written an article and given an interview to the publication, which is sold by those affected by homelessness, vowing to keep shining a light on the problem.
In the latest issue of the magazine, William, who has long been involved in supporting charities that help the homeless, opens up about why he refuses "to believe that homelessness is an irrevocable fact of life".
He talks about his mother, the late Princess Diana, and how his interest in wanting to solve the homelessness issue came when he first visited a homeless shelter with her aged 11.
He writes: "I was 11 when I first visited a homeless shelter with my mother, who in her own inimitable style was determined to shine a light on an overlooked, misunderstood problem."
And he adds that just like his mother, he intends to introduce his children - Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis - to charitable causes in the future.
He explains: “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.
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“I count myself extremely lucky to have a role that allows me to meet people from all walks of life, and to understand their full story – whatever it may be. It’s a privilege that many of us, busy with our days, don’t always afford.
“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.”
One of the homelessness organisations that William has heavily been involved with is Centrepoint - a charity that helps homeless young people.
He has been a patron of the charity since 2005, and according to the Daily Mail, he makes up to half a dozen secret visits to accommodation services run by Centrepoint each year.
And the charity's CEO Seyi Obakin told the publication that on one occasion William spent a full week working at the charity - even calling the benefits office in a bid to help one young person.
He said: "On one occasion, he spent a week with us, turned up and was presented as locum staff. He even rang up the benefits office on behalf of one young person. That was an education for him!
"When someone said to him he looked like someone famous, William just smiled and replied: 'I've heard people say that, but don't believe it!' And then he carried on working. He was so low-key, just turning up and doing his thing, that only the manager knew who he was.
"It is a measure of who he is that, by the time he got married, he had developed such a good relationship with that particular manager that he invited them to his wedding."
Earlier this month, William tried to go under the radar by selling The Big Issue on the streets of London with fellow vendor Dave Martin.
Wearing a red vendor’s vest and baseball cap and official accreditation on his chest, the Duke joined Mr Martin, who had volunteered to show William the ropes, outside a Sainsbury’s Local in Victoria, a 10-minute walk from Buckingham Palace.
News about the famous Big Issue seller soon spread through word of mouth and a queue formed, with people eager to meet the future king. But they had to buy the magazine and 32 copies, which would normally take his guide a week to sell, were snapped up in under an hour.
He describes his time with vendor Dave Martin as “eye-opening” and says he was recognised by those who stopped to buy the magazine, which allows the homeless to earn income by selling the publication.
William reveals: "I wanted to experience the other side and see what it was like to be a Big Issue vendor. My time was truly eye-opening. I was lucky to join Dave on a warm, sunny day in June. People recognised a familiar face and were happy to give me the time of day. But that isn’t the case for the vast majority of Big Issue vendors..."
Meanwhile, in a Q&A session in the latest issue of the magazine, William suggests momentum for tackling homelessness, fostered by the Everyone In initiative where rough sleepers were moved into accommodation at the start of the pandemic, may have been lost – but he remained optimistic.
He tells Mr Martin, 60, a Big Issue seller for 11 years: “I felt my birthday was a good opportunity. I wanted to make sure we were highlighting something that matters to me.
“Off the back of Everyone In, it started to feel that actually, this issue isn’t quite as big to tackle as we think. But it feels like it’s gone back to what it was before the pandemic.
“We can fix it. It is possible to – I never want to say completely end homelessness, because every day something else might happen for someone – but get on top of it more than we have done.”
