Prince William vows to 'end homelessness' as he reveals plans to build social housing on his private estate

18 June 2023, 11:31

Prince William has made it his mission to end homelessness, revealing plans to build social housing on his private estate.

Prince William said that he will launch a "really big project" to take on the issue of homelessness but details of the five-year project will remain under wraps until the end of the month.

"It's nerve-racking," he told the Times. "But I'm really excited. I've been waiting for the right time to do this."

While the project's details are secret for now, William revealed that there are social housing plans for the Duchy of Cornwall, the 130,000-acre property empire he now controls after becoming the Prince of Wales.

"You'll see that when it's ready," he said. "I'm no policy expert, but I push it where I can."

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The prince is the patron of Centrepoint, a charity which helps homeless young people.

Earlier this week, he officially opened Reuben House, a block of 33 studio properties in south-east London where rents are set at a third of a resident's income, on behalf of the charity.

William also has plans to introduce his children to a homeless organisation, in the same way that his mother brought him to a homeless shelter when he was 11 years old, he told the paper.

"When I left this morning, one of the things I was thinking was, 'When is the right time to bring George or Charlotte or Louis to a homeless organisation?'" he said.

"I think when I can balance it with their schooling, they will definitely be exposed to it. On the school run, we talk about what we see.

"When we were in London, driving backwards and forwards, we regularly used to see people sitting outside supermarkets and we'd talk about it."

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It comes as a new photo was released of William and his children to mark Father's Day.

The children and their father are all dressed in blue, with George, nine, and William, 40, both in trousers and casual shirts.

Louis, five, is his typically excitable self and is beaming in a blue jumper, while his brother and sister appear more relaxed.

Charlotte, who turned eight last month, is dressed in a blue floral printed dress and white cardigan.

The family made an appearance at the King's Trooping the Colour for his birthday on Saturday, also appearing on the Buckingham Palace balcony to watch the flypast.