Prince William reflects on what his mother, Princess Diana, did as a child that “had a really big impact”

The late Princess of Wales died in a car accident on August 31, 1997, when William was just 15 years old

The UK is experiencing the “worst homelessness crisis in living memory”, with more than 350,000 people across the UK without a permanent home. Prince William I want to change that.

In the first part of his two-part documentary titled Prince William: We can end homelessness — which aired on Oct. 30, with part two airing on Oct. 31 — the 42-year-old Prince of Wales lets cameras follow him in the first year of his life “Home” initiative.a five-year project announced in June 2023 with a mission to make homelessness “rare, brief and non-recurring.”

“I think it’s really important that we can try to change the narrative around homelessness,” William said in the first part of the documentary. “People live with it. We see this every day in our lives. That’s something I want to challenge.”

He added: “I feel like with my position and platform, I should be making change.”

Related: Here’s how you can watch Prince William’s groundbreaking new documentary in the UK and US

William’s mother, Princess Dianafeatured heavily in the first part of the docuseries, with the Prince of Wales saying: “I took some cues from what my mother did.”

He remembered that Princess Diana took him and his younger brother, Prince HarryDown Transition — who works to end homelessness and help those in need — when they were little boys.

“I must have been about 11 at the time, I think probably. Maybe 10,” William said. “I’ve never been in anything like this before. And I was a little afraid of what to expect. My mother went about her usual routine, making sure everyone felt relaxed, laughing and joking with everyone. I remember thinking at the time, “Well, if everyone doesn’t have a home, everyone will be really sad.” But it was amazing how joyful the environment was.”

“I remember having some good conversations, playing chess and chatting, and then it dawned on me that there are other people who don’t have the same life as you. When you’re quite little, you don’t really do that – you just think that life is what you see in front of you. You really have no idea to look elsewhere. And then you meet people, like I did, who give you a different perspective and say, “I was on the street last night.” And you say, “Whoa,” you know. It’s like this… I remember it happening,” William added.

The royal prince also became the patron of the Passage Central pointanother charity working to end homelessness. Princess Diana was also a patron of Centrepoint when she was a member of the royal family, and the organization was one of the first of which William became patron in 2005, at the beginning of his royal tenure.

“She made sure that when (we) grew up, life outside the palace walls was real, you know, and not just a statement,” Prince William said of his mother’s influence. “It was a fact. And it’s funny how times like this come along, right?”

He is now talking about homelessness with their own children Prince George11, Princess Charlotte9 and Prince Louis6 years, which he shares with his wife Kate Middleton42.

“When I was very little, my mother started talking about homelessness, just like I do now with my children on the way to school,” Prince William said in the documentary. “We saw people on the street. You know, when you’re (so) little, you’re curious and you kind of try to figure out what’s going on. You just ask a question, like, “Well, why are they sitting there?” And my mom talked to us a little bit about why they were there. And it definitely had a really big impact.”

As he has grown into a royal role over the years, “I’ve slowly been trying to figure out what I can bring to the role and the platform that I have,” William said. “What do I think works? What do I think people want to see from me? I drew inspiration and guidance from what my mother did, especially regarding homelessness. And in the last few years, that percentage has increased even more.”

Related: Prince William recalls emotional childhood memories with Prince Harry in first public mention of his brother in years

Elsewhere in the film, the future king alluded to his privilege in that he not only experienced life without a home, but lived in royal residences throughout his life. (The home he shares with the Princess of Wales and their three children, Adelaide Cottage, is more modest in comparison, boasting four bedrooms, but extremely privileged nonetheless.)

“When you meet homeless people, you talk to them and at least you understand – I can’t pretend to understand homelessness,” William said. “But you can just see it in their eyes and the way they talk – the pain and the journey they’ve been through and how they carry this huge burden with them.”

“I have spent enough time learning and listening to what people have been through that every time I go out I feel almost guilty for not doing more to help, and I feel compelled to act because I don’t want to just talk about it. I just don’t want to listen. I really want to see someone smile because their life has become better. Therefore, creating a project is the only way I can see at the moment to help people who are in a much less fortunate or very difficult situation,” he continued.

“Our whole ethos is about empowering those already in the field and providing them with the tools, expertise, resources and funding to make this a transformative program,” William added.

Regarding the initial six Homewards locations, he continued: “Over the first 12 months we would like to build partnerships and networks across these locations. We want solutions to start emerging. “I think the ultimate ambition is to prove that homelessness is a problem that can be solved and that it can be prevented and that it doesn’t have to be as big or as bad as it is.”

Many voices other than William’s are heard throughout the first part of the documentary, such as Sabrina Cohen-Hatton, who worked with William on Homewards. She experienced life on the streets and has since become West Sussex’s Chief Fire Officer.

“You don’t have to experience homelessness to be able to connect with people who are experiencing homelessness,” she said. “Many people can identify with the trauma. Many people can identify with the breakdown and loss of a family. And I think the prince – his ability to connect with people on a human level comes from some of the experiences he’s had himself.”

Safiya Saeed, a community activist working with Homewards to address rising levels of homelessness, also appears in the film Prince William: We can end homelessness.

“People who criticize Prince William and say that a person who lives in castles and palaces doesn’t understand homelessness – we don’t care where he lives,” Saeed said. “The most important thing is that he is human and he shows it by leading something. And if not him, who will? This is what we expect from our future king.

“I feel like we finally matter,” Saeed continued. “People who feel they have no power, have no influence – for a future king to say, ‘Listen, we’ve got to make a mark.’ I feel it’s high time. It’s about time and I’m glad it’s coming from him.

Regarding the mission of his work on homelessness, William said in the documents: “I think that anyone who has the right to a safe and stable home benefits us all. I have no other goal than the desperate desire to help people in need. And I consider it part of my role. Why would I be here if I’m not using my role properly to influence and help people wherever I can? I like big challenges – I like it – but I can’t do it alone.

Prince William realizes that the undertaking is large, but he is ready to face the problem. “It’s ambitious. It’s big,” he said. “It will be a lot of hard work.”

He added: “I don’t think we should be living with homelessness in the 21st century. At some point you have to say, “Okay, come on, we’re actually going to do something that will really change people’s lives.” “

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Part two Prince William: We can end homelessness will air on October 31 on ITV in the UK and will be available on Disney+ for US viewers from November 1.