Prince William was given food for thought today when he helped out in the kitchen at a charity that specialises in conflict resolution.
The heir to the throne, whose family rift with Harry and Meghan is unresolved after the Duke of Sussex wrote a memoir describing how he was physically attacked by his brother, visited Together as One, a charity in Slough, Berkshire, founded to bring people together together and end gang violence between young Asians in the 1990s.
Originally named Aik Saath, meaning Together As One in Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu, the charity has evolved to work with all young people, regardless of their faith or background.
It helps teach conflict resolution in youth centres and schools and supports young people affected by family breakdown.
William, 40, met staff, volunteers and young carers who look after relatives during the visit and helped chef Kevin Muhammad and a team of young people prepare chicken teriyaki.
“It smells good in here,” the Prince said before donning an apron and helping out by pouring noodles into a pan at the cooking session, part of the charity’s Global Grub programme designed to teach young people culinary skills.
“It’s smelling delicious,” he added. “It’s making my tummy rumble.”
William told Mr Muhammad that he did not do much cooking at home but specialised in breakfasts and steaks.
“I do a mean steak,” he said. “My sauce is quite dry or lumpy. So I’ve got to work on my sauces.”
He helped young carers Inaaya Shahab, 13, and Daisha Nakawagi, 12, prepare the noodles before tasting the fruits of their labour.
“He said it was amazing,” said Daisha, who told him she wanted to be a chef.
The Prince spoke to the staff and volunteers about the work they do, which includes support for 195 young carers in the Slough area, projects focused on mental health, and campaigns designed to strengthen relationships in the community and tackle issues such as bullying, knife crime and racism.
He was briefed about the organisation’s work on conflict resolution, although Rob Deeks, the chief executive of Together as One, said they had not had time to brief him in detail about the techniques staff use to teach people how to de-escalate disputes.
“We use a lot of techniques sometimes with the groups,” he said, explaining that the goal was to avoid aggression.
“There is a concept called On Sight, which means when I see this person I’m going to hurt them.”
Media covering the visit were only invited to listen into small parts of the conversation but William is not thought to have discussed his own family’s dispute.
Among those the Prince met was Faizaan Hamid, 24, a young carer support worker who has recently joined the staff after five years of volunteering with the organisation.
He told William how he was diagnosed as bipolar at the age of 15 and got left behind at school but has found a real purpose working for Together as One.
“We try to make your differences not divide you but unite you,” he said, adding that the organisation strove to celebrate the different religious and cultural origins of young people in the area.
“We are trying to get different people to come together.”
William had been due to visit the charity in September but the visit had to be postponed because of Queen Elizabeth’s death.
