Prince William has been passionate about helping the homeless ever since he was a young boy, having been introduced to the cause by his mother, Princess Diana. It's been 20 years since he became the royal patron of homelessness charity Centrepoint, carrying on the role his late mother once held. But it's now been revealed that the Prince of Wales would like Prince George, 12, to carry on this legacy of advocacy—and he has plans to start introducing his son in the near future.
A source close to the Prince of Wales told the Mail on Sunday that William "talks to George, Charlotte and Louis about homelessness a lot." Adding that the royal is "incredibly passionate" about helping unhoused people, the insider says that William wants his eldest son to get hands-on experience in supporting this royal work.
"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," the insider added.
Prince William, age 11, is seen playing chess at homelessness charity The Passage.
Princess Diana and Prince William are pictured at The Passage in 1993.
Homewards is the initiative the Prince of Wales launched through the Royal Foundation in 2023, and its aim is "to demonstrate that it’s possible to end homelessness—making it rare, brief and unrepeated." The project has six flagship locations around the U.K. that are working on action plans to help people in their regions, with the Royal Foundation providing funding of up to £500,000 for each location.
Prince William was George's age when he first started visiting shelters with his mother, as shown in some never-before-seen childhood photos the prince shared in the 2024 documentary, Prince William: We Can End Homelessness. An 11-year-old William is seen playing chess and holding Christmas gifts during a December 1993 visit to The Passage, another homelessness charity the Prince of Wales supports as patron.
"My mother took me to The Passage. She took Harry and I both there. I must have been about 11, I think, probably, at the time," he said in the documentary. William admitted he'd "never been to anything like that before" and "was a bit anxious as to what to expect."
However, he was surprised by "how happy an environment" it was at The Passage. "I remember having some good conversations—just playing chess and chatting," he said. "That’s when it dawned on me that there are other people out there who don't have the same life as you do."
Prince George (far left) is seen with his parents and siblings at the Together at Christmas concert on December 5.
As for Prince George, he's slowly being introduced to official royal duties by his parents now that he's almost a teenager.
In May, George joined Prince William and Princess Kate at a tea party for World War II veterans in honor of the 80th anniversary of VE Day. Although palace sources were careful to note the then-11-year-old wouldn't be making regular solo outings, George did attend the Festival of Remembrance with mom Kate in November while Prince William was visiting Brazil.
