The Prince of Wales has been praised for two decades of philanthropic work for the homeless charity Centrepoint that he was introduced to by his late mother, Princess Diana
The Prince of Wales has been a patron of Centrepoint since 2005(Image: PA)
Prince William has visited homelessness charity Centrepoint to mark 20 years of his patronage. Centrepoint is one of William’s longest patronages, having taken over from his mother, the late Princess Diana, who started working with the charity in 1992.
During his visit to East London today, the Prince of Wales joined a group of staff and young people who have been supported by the charity to celebrate two decades of his commitment to them. He also joined them in creating the charity’s new ‘Wall of Hope’ mural, which was co-designed by a group of young people and artist Lanré Olagoke MBE.
Prince William has long championed causes to help the homeless, becoming a patron of Centrepoint since 2005, more than a decade after his mother, Diana, started helping the charity in 1992. He also introduced Homewards, a flagship five-year initiative, launched in 2023 which aims to reduce homelessness.
READ MORE: Kate and William leave people ‘in tears’ with ‘selfish’ move at new homeREAD MORE: Meghan Markle branded ‘holiday hypocrite’ and ‘Montecito Diva’ in scathing attackPrince William has been celebrated for his 20 years as a patron of the Centrepoint charity(Image: PA)
To mark the 20th anniversary of the Prince of Wales’ Centrepoint patronage, the charity will throw a party in his honour where he is set to be presented with a specially commissioned chocolate cake created by royal baker Juliet Sear.
Ms Sear has baked her ‘ultimate chocolate brownie cake’, using the same indulgent recipe she followed when creating Prince Harry’s 30th birthday cake, which was presented to him at the inaugural Invictus Games in 2014.
Described as ‘full of chocolate, with a dense, fudgy, truffle-like centre coated in chocolate ganache buttercream’, the creation was chosen after Ms Sear was advised by aides about Prince William’s tastes as the Princess of Wales is said to have passed on that the Prince was a lifelong ‘chocoholic’.
He helped create the charity’s new Wall of Hope mural in East London today(Image: PA)
Centrepoint CEO Seyi Obakin OBE said the charity will also present Prince William with a montage of pictures celebrating his two decades of service. “We’ve collected photos of him with young people in relaxed moments, some never seen publicly before,” he said. “There’s one from when he volunteered with us before becoming Patron.
“He spent five days volunteering undercover, talking to the housing benefit office, advising young people. He had an induction and then was simply thrown in. The young people had no idea who he was. One said, ‘You look like someone I know’ and he replied, ‘Yes, people say that a lot’ and moved on.”
William swooned as he met an adorable baby during his visit(Image: PA)
In an ITV documentary last year – Prince William: We Can End Homelessness – the future King recalled visiting homeless charity The Passage with his mother in 1993 at the age of 11. Prince William – now a patron of the charity – said in the documentary he had “taken inspiration and guidance from what my mother did, particularly with homelessness”.
He said it had helped him see “outside the palace walls”. Responding to questions whether he was the right person to lead the project given his own immense privilege, the Prince told ITV at the time: “I think everyone having a right to a safe, stable home benefits us all.
“I come with no other agenda other than desperately trying to help people who are in need and see that as part of my role. Why else would I be here if I’m not using this role properly to influence and help people while I can. I like a big challenge, I do like that, but I can’t do it on my own.”
Prince William was introduced to homelessness initiatives by his mother, Princess Diana(Image: Collect Unknown)
Two decades on from when William’s mother introduced him to homelessness charities, the Prince of Wales is reportedly planning to expose his eldest son Prince George to the same plight of homeless people, in the hopes he will pass on his passion to meet and care for those less fortunate.
According to the Mail on Sunday : “He talks to George, Charlotte and Louis about homelessness a lot. It’s something he’s incredibly passionate about. He’s keen to take George to a homeless shelter soon to meet some of the brilliant people who inspired him to create Homewards, and the people who will ultimately be supported by it.”
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