Prince William Spends Night in Alleyway for Charity

The young man who will one day be King of Great Britain, spent a night in London’s alleyways to better understand the plight of the homeless. Prince William did this for the homeless charity, Centrepoint, which he is patron of.

The Prince, along with Seyi Obakin, chief executive of Centrepoint and a few others, slept near the Thames River on cardboard boxes as temperatures fell to 25 degrees Fahrenheit (minus zero Celsius).

“I cannot, after one night, even begin to imagine what it must be like to sleep rough on London’s streets night after night,” William said after his experience.

“There was no shielding from the bitter cold or the hard concrete floor or the fear of being accosted by drug dealers, pimps or those out to give homeless people a good kicking,” Obakin explained. “One of the hairiest moments occurred when we were almost run over by a road sweeper which simply didn’t see our small group huddled together, which just goes to show how vulnerable rough sleepers are.”

Prince William once said he does not want to be a royal “ornament” and spend his time cutting ribbons. He also added that he wants to make a difference in people’s lives.

The person who most likely influenced William’s focus was his mother, the late Princess Diana. She was a patron of Centrepoint before her 1997 death, and often brought William and his brother Harry to visit the homeless to see the other side of life.

“Poverty, mental illness, drug and alcohol dependency and family breakdown cause people to become and then stay homeless. I hope that by deepening my understanding of the issue, I can help do my bit to help the most vulnerable on our streets,” the Prince said.

Click here for images of Prince William, including his work with Centrepoint.

Filed under The United Kingdom
Tagged Patronage, The Duke of Cambridge.

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