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Prince William had cause for celebration on Tuesday morning as he marked 20 years as Patron of Centrepoint. The homelessness charity — famously championed by Diana, Princess of Wales — welcomed him to their new London offices to honour the milestone.
During the visit, William beamed as he was presented with a giant purple cake by baker Juliet Sear, before spending time with staff and young people who have supported the charity over the years. He then joined the team in creating a new Wall of Hope mural, co-designed by artist Lanré Olagoke MBE.
Highlighting homelessness in the UK has long been a priority for William. In 2023, he launched his own initiative, Homewards, designed to show that ending homelessness is achievable — making it “rare, brief, and unrepeated.”
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Once finished, the mural will embody the charity’s mission to end youth homelessness across the UK. Lanré Olagoke — a self-taught artist with lived experience of homelessness — was recognised in the King’s New Year Honours in 2024 for his work helping young people access the arts.
In November, Centrepoint warned that as many as 23,500 young people could face homelessness this winter. Just a month earlier, the Centrepoint Helpline announced it had supported its 50,000th caller — less than eight years after William officially launched it.
William’s commitment to highlighting homelessness charities goes back many years and is rooted in the experiences he shared with his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales. She often took William and Harry on charity visits to meet people facing hardship. Among the organisations she introduced them to were Centrepoint and The Passage — both of which have remained significant in William’s life, with Centrepoint and The Passage now benefiting from his patronage.
It has recently been reported that William hopes to follow in his mother’s example by introducing his own children — Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis — to the realities of homelessness.
A royal source said: “He talks to George, Charlotte and Louis about homelessness a lot. It’s something he’s incredibly passionate about.”
Speaking to the Daily Mail, the source added: “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.”
Homewards is focusing its efforts on six areas across the UK, using scalable solutions tailored to local needs — Lambeth in South London, Bournemouth, Newport, Belfast, Aberdeen and Sheffield. Each location is centred on supporting a specific group. For instance, Aberdeen is prioritising single occupants and young people under 25, while Northern Ireland is directing its support toward women experiencing chronic homelessness.
Speaking earlier this year ahead of Homewards’ two-year anniversary, William said: “Homewards is an ambitious programme. Tackling homelessness is not just about building homes. Creating long-term change is complex and unpredictable, but I am confident we can lead and inspire understanding, empathy and optimism that homelessness can be ended.”
He continued: “We know that achieving our goal will take a collective effort, but the power of partnership cannot be underestimated, and we will continue to support your hard work and build momentum by bringing in new partners and resources. Success for Homewards means demonstrating that change is possible; that homelessness is not the insurmountable challenge it is too often perceived to be.”
