Prince William Takes Responsibility of Princess Diana's Beloved Charity, The Passage

His mom brought him there when he was little.

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This morning, Kensington Palace announced that Prince William would become Royal Patron of The Passage Charity and that he would visit them today. It's a sweetly touching move for William; His mom brought him and Prince Harry along to the charity as far back as 1993 to show her sons the importance of volunteer work and caring for others.

In 2016, William spoke about the visit to The Passage and everything it meant to him. "The visits I made as a child to this place left a deep and lasting impression on me—about how important it is to ensure that everyone in our society, especially the poorest, are treated with respect, dignity, and kindness, and are given the opportunities to fulfill their potential in life,” he said at the time.

The Passage is the largest resource center for homeless individuals in the U.K. and they have reportedly worked with more than 130,000 in the nearly 30 years that they've been in existence. There's video of William cooking and helping to serve food (here he's making spaghetti bolognese, yum!) and interacting with the volunteers who work at the charity:

Here's the image of Princess Diana, William, and Prince Harry at The Passage Charity when the kids were both young:

And here are their names in the visitor's book from that visit:

So, William's selection of patronage is particularly meaningful and sweet—making sure his mom's legacy lasts through his generation and beyond.

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Katherine J. Igoe
Katherine J. Igoe
Contributing Editor

Katherine’s a contributing syndications editor at Marie Claire who covers fashion, culture, and lifestyle. In her role, she writes stories that are syndicated by MSN and other outlets. She’s been a full-time freelancer for over a decade and has had roles with Cosmopolitan (where she covered lifestyle, culture, and fashion SEO content) and Bustle (where she was their movies and culture writer). She has bylines in New York Times, Parents, InStyle, Refinery29, and elsewhere. Her work has also been syndicated by ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, Seventeen, Good Housekeeping, and Women’s Health, among others. In addition to her stories reaching millions of readers, content she's written and edited has qualified for a Bell Ringer Award and received a Communicator Award. 

Katherine has a BA in English and art history from the University of Notre Dame and an MA in art business from the Sotheby's Institute of Art (with a focus on marketing/communications). She covers a wide breadth of topics: she's written about how to find the very best petite jeans, how sustainable travel has found its footing on Instagram, and what it's like to be a professional advice-giver in the modern world. Her personal essays have run the gamut from learning to dress as a queer woman to navigating food allergies as a mom. She also has deep knowledge of SEO/EATT, affiliate revenue, commerce, and social media; she regularly edits the work of other writers. She speaks at writing-related events and podcasts about freelancing and journalism, mentors students and other new writers, and consults on coursework. Currently, Katherine lives in Boston with her husband and two kids, and you can follow her on Instagram. If you're wondering about her last name, it’s “I go to dinner,” not “Her huge ego,” but she responds to both.