Prince William stunned drivers in Aberdeen as he walked between engagements today, making the most of the autumn sunshine.
As he strolled down the city’s cobbled streets shocked drivers leant out of their windows shouting: ‘Hi William!’ prompting him to wave and smile. He startled a few pedestrians, while one cyclist stooped his bike right next to him to look twice, not entirely believing his eyes.
The Prince of Wales was in the city to persuade the private sector to rent property to more people who have been homeless, saying there are a ‘wealth of people out there who want to help, but don’t know how’.
Talking about his Homewards initiative to eradicate homelessness in six key areas of the country, the heir to the throne said he wanted to convince private landlords and businesses that it was not too risky.
As he arrived, he showed off the beard that has sent royal fans wild in recent months – perhaps suggesting it’s a style choice that is here to stay
Speaking to people who have personally struggled with homelessness, addiction, mental health issues and more, he also said he wants to empower ‘those who are homeless to realise their life matters’.
‘When you’re at your lowest ebb, you believe – quite understandably – that people don’t care and there’s nowhere to go,’ he said, of the importance of removing stigma.
But, he continued: ‘There’s hope, definitely. We’ve got to start changing the narrative.’
The Prince, whose beard seems to be here to stay, flew to Aberdeen via a slightly delayed commercial airline, and joked he had brought some good weather with him.
The Prince of Wales proved his beard is here to stay as he attended engagements in Aberdeen to discuss homelessness
The royal teamed up with Gail Porter, who is an advocate for Homewards after finding herself homeless at two points in her life
The Prince of Wales looked passionate as he attended the lunch and discussed the issue of homelessness
The Prince of Wales engaged in conversation with people involved in the cause of ending homelessness as he attended the ‘thank you’ event
The royal father-of-three, 42, beamed as he arrived in the Scottish city to meet workers from across the homelessness sector
Prince of Wales, known as the Duke of Rothesay when in Scotland, with community manager Iona Rennie, as he meets workers from the homelessness sector during a visit to Shelter
His first of two engagements was at the office of Shelter Scotland, where he spoke to staff and service users.
Hearing that there is a lot of ‘unsuitable accommodation’, which either does not meet acceptable standards of living or involves long-term sofa surfing, he said: ‘There’s pressure everywhere, isn’t there?’
The Prince told staff he hoped his Homewards project would help bring more awareness to the issue of hidden homelessness, the importance of early intervention to stop people becoming homeless in the first place, and a ‘shift from management to prevention’.
‘You guys do all of the hard work,’ he said. ‘But who is supporting you? I want Homewards to be that, to elevate your work and support you.
‘We’re trying to change the narrative to ‘this [homelessness] is happening, and we move with it’ rather than something no-one understands or talks about.’
On the issue of hidden homelessness, he added: ‘A lot of people don’t understand that because they don’t see it.’
William appeared to listen intently to the other attendees at the lunch
William looked animated as he discussed a cause about which he has long been passionate, following in the footsteps of his mother Princess Diana
William’s first engagement will see him visiting the Aberdeen office of Shelter Scotland, which supports people on the brink of or already experiencing homelessness
William put on a serious smoulder as he visited the charity
Hearing from staff that they could only help so many people, and that systematic change is needed to provide more housing, the Prince sympathised: ‘Whatever you do, there’s always that block at the end.
‘We’ve got to deliver the homes. I can’t promise we’re going to deliver hundreds and hundreds, but we think there’s a good chance to get the private sector more involved.
‘A lot of the private sector want to help, they want to do it.’
He continued: ‘There are a wealth of people out there who want to help but don’t know how.’
Viewing a wall of photographs taken by Margaret Mitchell, in a project to capture those with lived experience of homelessness, the Prince spoke of a similar exhibition staged at Saatchi, London, by Homewards.
The Prince then heard from two service users, who have turned their lives around with the help of Shelter Scotland.
One spoke of long-term addiction issues and being released from prison with no home, job or mental health support to go to, while the other told of the bleak living conditions which saw him given a bare room with a kettle for his permanent housing.
‘You tell me what you want to tell me,’ the Prince reassured them, noticing that one man – who did not want to be identified – seemed nervous. ‘No pressure.’
‘Everyone needs to feel like they belong,’ he said, of the importance of community support.
‘You need to feel you belong, and you’re cared for.’
Saying he had heard stories of the same issues across the UK, the Prince added: ‘It’s the system, the fact that we’ve got to adapt the system.
‘You guys both said the same thing, that you went to the council – and this is no offence to the council – but they’ve got so many things on their plate, but they find it hard to know where to signpost you, how to fix it and sometimes they can’t fix it.
‘So how can we get to you earlier?
‘It’s tweaking the system a little bit so we get more upstream, where they are earlier indications that you’re at risk of homelessness before you get into it.
‘It’s crucial and that’s what I’m hoping in these five years that I can do, to try and amplify the brilliant work that you and other organisations do.
‘It’s such a big jigsaw.’
The Prince of Wales’ busy day of engagements is part of his five year-long Homewards programme, which is a mission to prove homelessness can be ended once and for all
The royal has made tackling homelessness one of his main prioritises
The Prince also heard accounts from children living in temporary or unsuitable accommodation, who wrote of their nightmares and fears about their situation as well as their hopes for the future.
One, read out in a moment of levity among the many negative stories, recorded a little girl’s ambition to one day have a house with ‘four bedrooms, a balcony, four bedrooms and a very big garden’.
It is ‘crucial’ to reach children, the Prince said, before it ‘manifests itself in bigger problems in later life’.
He also urged service users to keep speaking about their experiences, to help ’empower those who are homeless to realise their life matters’.
The Prince of Wales , known as the Duke of Rothesay when in Scotland, as he meets workers from the homelessness sector
William looked animated as he chatted to workers at the charity
William also viewed artwork with community manager Iona Rennie
‘This has to become a thing where people are talking about it more, it’s understood more, it’s in the media more, the priority goes higher.
‘It’s been hidden, for lots of reasons. We need to remove that [stigma].
‘It’s important everyone understands the true grit and determination it’s taken from you guys to get out of those situations. It’s important to see the light at the end of the tunnel.’
At Union Kirk, the Prince held a roundtable meeting in private before joining a large hall where staff and volunteers from the homelessness sector had gathered to celebrate their work so far, as well as their new inclusion in the Blue Light Card discount service.
The card allowed emergency services, NHS, social care workers and the Armed Forced to receive discounts with more than 15,000 retailers, saving members a combined £330m last year, and now open to those in the homelessness sector.
Guests at the event included Gail Porter, who was first taken to a shelter with her mother at the age of 11, and became homeless again after her television career suffered when she declined to wear a wig after developing alopecia.
She now works as a mental health and homelessness advocate, and has appeared at events with Prince William before.
After arriving at the event, Prince William spoke to the team behind Blue Light Card first – CEO Alidad Moghaddam, and co-founders Steve Denny and Tom Dalby – saying how pleased he was that they had said a quick yes to including staff from homeless charities.
He spent time at three tables talking to staff and volunteers, listening as they told of issues including overcrowded prisons, understaffed services and, mostly, a lack in housing supply to put people in.
‘It’s depressing isn’t it,’ he told one. ‘It must be so difficult for people dealing with this every day.’
He added: ‘You guys have been doing this job for so long and I’m aware that perhaps not many people say thank you, so please hear it from me: thank you.’
In a speech, he opened with an in-joke with Gail Porter, who is one of the Homewards advocates, and had been sitting next to him moments before.
‘I was suddenly worried when I gave Gail Porter my speech that she might have drawn on it,’ he said to laughter. ‘Luckily it looks ok so far.’
He continued: ‘We have amongst us today those who go above and beyond in their efforts to help those in the greatest need.
‘It has been a privilege to meet some of you, and to hear about the challenges you face as well as your ideas on what more Homewards can do to support the sector.
‘I am always particularly inspired to meet those of you who have your own experience of homelessness. Despite the trauma and difficulties you have encountered, you have chosen to join the workforce that helped you, so that you can ensure others don’t experience what you did.’
The Prince added: ‘As you all know too well, homelessness is a complex issue.
‘I’m so glad to be able to celebrate the enormous and invaluable contribution you and your colleagues across the UK make, today and every day.’
The Prince of Wales’s engagement comes as Homewards has announced a partnership with the national Blue Light Card discount, which provides deals to emergency services workers.
In collaboration with Homewards, Blue Light Card will now extend discounts to 60,000 workers in the UK who work within the homelessness sector.
