The Prince of Wales’ work to raise awareness and tackle homelessness will take centre stage in an upcoming ITV two-part documentary, titled ‘Prince William: We Can End Homelessness’.
This isn’t the first time viewers will be given access to a senior member of the Royal Family and their work, with a documentary crew following Queen Camilla in her efforts to raise awareness around domestic violence to be released this year.
Prince William, the Prince of Wales, at the launch of a five year programme to end homelessness at the Mosaic Clubhouse in London; June 2023
Prince William’s documentary will see viewers taken behind the scenes during the first year of the Homewards programme, a five-year programme which aims to demonstrate that homelessness can be ended by working with six locations across the UK to put collaboration at the heart of the response.
It will follow him launching the campaign, as well as including interviews with ambassadors of Homewards, and those leading individual projects across the UK to tackle the issue.
William has carried out numerous engagements over the last few decades relating to homelessness and often champions the organisations working to tackle the issue. As such, Prince William has become Patron of a number of homeless charities – Centrepoint and The Passage. Centrepoint was the first ever charity that William supported with an official patronage in his royal career, beginning in 2005.
The Prince of Wales has spoken about the importance of tackling homelessness. (The Big Issue)
The future King has long been passionate about the issue, after visiting one of their shelters with his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, when he was 11. In 2009 he spent a night sleeping rough on the street, to understand the difficulties faced by those without a home, especially at Christmas.
In the lead up to his 40th birthday, The Prince of Wales was spotted on the streets of London selling copies of the Big Issue. Prince William would go on to write about homelessness in a future edition of the magazine, and reflect on his experience selling the magazine.
Prince William: We Can End Homelessness
Coming Soon to @ITV and @ITVXAn exclusive ITV1 documentary which follows the launch and first year of @HomewardsUK and its work to demonstrate that it’s possible to end homelessness@KensingtonRoyal pic.twitter.com/fQPWUrhwX8
— ITV (@ITV) October 13, 2024
Speaking about his experience of selling copies of the magazine
, William said his time ‘was truly eye opening’. He acknowledged that his life in the public eye meant people were interested in speaking to him ‘but that isn’t the case for the vast majority of Big Issue vendors, who sell year-round – including through the bleak winter months – and are barely given a second glance by passers-by’.
In the year leading up to March 2024, in England, 178,560 households were assessed as homeless – a 12.3% increase on the previous year, according to government figures, while households with children in temporary accommodation, which is a form of homelessness, increased by 14.7% to 74,530
Charity Shelter said the data shows that the ‘housing emergency has trapped many families in temporary accommodation for over five years’.
Discussing the commission into Prince William’s work, ITV’s controller of factual, Jo Clinton-Davis said: ‘With access to the inner workings of this ambitious project and the work of Prince William and his team, we hope to share with viewers a privileged insight into how they are setting out to tackle an issue which concerns us all and affects so many of our fellow citizens across the UK.’
Tell me about…The Prince of Wales and his mission to tackle homelessness
Director of the documentary, Leo Burley noted: ‘From street homelessness in Newport, to families living in temporary accommodation in Sheffield, and youth homelessness in Aberdeen, the documentary paints a picture of homelessness across the UK today, working with many people who never expected to experience life without a place to call home. Everyone we’ve filmed with has welcomed the spotlight that Prince William and Homewards are placing on the UK’s homelessness crisis.’
Amanda Berry OBE, Chief Executive Officer, The Royal Foundation said: ‘We know that television has the power to change hearts and minds. Homelessness can seem like it is hard to prevent but by sharing the realities of people’s experiences and those who are coming together to support them, we can inspire action. This two-part documentary will help raise vital awareness and demonstrate that, by working together, it is possible to end homelessness.’
