Prince William Reveals Why Princess Diana Would Think He'd Gone “Mad” in New Documentary

Prince William looking serious wearing a blue suit jacket outside

(Image credit: Kensington Palace/Andrew Parsons)

published 29 October 2024

Prince William is no stranger to coming up with lofty ideas; after all, he launched the Earthshot Prize to try and solve the world's environmental issues. But in his new documentary, Prince William: We Can End Homelessness, the royal lays out his plan to end the homelessness crisis in the U.K. once and for all. It's an initiative that he admits might sound a little bit crazy, even to his famously charitable late mother, Princess Diana.

"She’d think I was mad," Prince William revealed in the two-part documentary. And while the Prince of Wales knows his goal is lofty, he said that it was his mom who inspired the idea.

"My mother introduced me to homelessness a long time ago and it's had a deep resonation with me, because of the connection I felt," he shared in one of the episodes.

The documentary—which will premiere on Disney+ Nov. 1 and on ITV in the U.K. on Oct. 30 and 31—follows William through the first year of Homewards, his five-year program "that aims to show it is possible to end homelessness," per Disney+.

Prince William and Princess Diana standing in a kitchen at charity The Passage with two chefs wearing aprons — Several new photos were shared in the documentary, including this one of Princess Diana and a young William visiting homelessness charity The Passage in 1993.

Prince William wearing an apron and laughing with two men sitting at a table full of plates and cups — William, seen interacting with guests at a holiday event, went on to become The Passage's royal patron.

In the program, Prince William shared rare unseen photos of himself with Princess Diana while visiting homelessness charity The Passage, an experience he said felt daunting as an 11-year-old boy. "I’d never been to anything like that before. And I was a bit anxious as to what to expect," the Prince of Wales said.

However, he went on to enjoy the visits with his mom and brother Prince Harry. "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."

William noted that Princess Diana's work with the homeless inspired him to want to carry on her mission of helping others.

The father of three—who now serves as royal patron of The Passage as well as homelessness charity Centrepoint—said he's gone on to teach his kids Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6, about those less fortunate.

"When I was very small, my mother started talking about homelessness, much like I do with my children now on the school run," William said in the docuseries, adding that it was "important" for him to make sure his children were "not just living in their own little worlds."

Prince William: We Can End Homelessness will premiere on Disney+ worldwide on Friday, Nov. 1.

TOPICS

Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.