HRH The Prince of Wales has been Centrepoint's Patron since 2005.
Centrepoint has always been close to the Prince's heart. As children, Princes William and Harry made private visits to Centrepoint services with their mother, the late Diana Princess of Wales, who herself was Centrepoint’s Patron.
On 13 September 2005, Prince William, HRH The Prince of Wales, became patron of Centrepoint – an enormous honour for Centrepoint staff and the young people we support.
Earlier this month our patron, The Prince of Wales, officially opened our new housing development in Peckham, South London, providing 33 new flats for young people between 18-25.
The Homewards initiative will test ideas and models to end homelessness in six locations across the UK, supported by our Patron, Prince William.
As Prince William celebrates his 40th birthday, we wanted to reflect on his time as our Patron and the amazing things he’s done to support homeless young people.
Keeping Diana's work alive, Prince William plays an active role in all aspects of Centrepoint.
He even helped young people directly when he spent two days volunteering in our accommodation services. Working with young people to discuss their situation, review their personal development plans, sort out their housing benefit claims and find more permanent accommodation, William used his special way of connecting with people from all backgrounds, making them feel at ease.
To mark 40 years of our charity, The Prince of Wales met young people and made a speech at a celebratory event in 2008.
He recalled the days he visited us with his mother, Princess Diana. He said: "That example of selfless service that Centrepoint represents has stayed with me, and that is why it was the first charity that I wanted to be associated with." He also said he had witnessed, first hand, "the extraordinary courage of so many of Centrepoint’s young people in rising to meet such seemingly insurmountable challenges in their lives."
To deepen his understanding of the challenges homeless young people face, in December 2009, Prince William joined Centrepoint's CEO, Seyi Obakin, to spend a night sleeping out on the streets of London in temperatures as low as minus 4C.
He said: 'I was very struck by the people I met and what they were struggling with – sleeping rough, sofa surfing, not having basic comforts a lot of us take for granted. That really struck me at a young age, bearing in mind the gulf for me, growing up in a palace, and seeing the other end of the spectrum where others were faced with huge personal challenges and were overcoming them. That was powerful to see at a young age.'
