Prince William is influenced by his mother, says Gordon Brown

Telegraph

01-07-2025

The Prince of Wales is changing attitudes towards homelessness in the way his late mother did for Aids, Gordon Brown has said.
The former prime minister joined Prince William and Steven Bartlett, the Dragon's Den entrepreneur, for a panel discussion marking the second anniversary of Homewards, the Prince's homelessness project.
He acknowledged that the Prince had been 'very influenced by his mother' on the issue, adding that Diana, Princess of Wales had 'encouraged him to take an interest in why people were on the streets, and why people were homeless, and why people needed a better chance'.
'I think he's changing people's view of homelessness and what can be done about it,' Mr Brown said.
'Remember, his mother changed people's views on Aids, his mother changed people's views on landmines, and I think he's changing people's view that you've got to think of a homeless person as an individual who has potential – who if given the proper chance, can actually make something of their lives, and not as someone to be discounted as a down-and-out.'
The Prince announced a new partnership with Mr Brown's Multibank charity, which provides necessities such as toiletries, bedding and clothes for people when they are rehoused after a period of homelessness.
During the on-stage discussion in Sheffield, he spoke of his mission to alleviate homelessness for the thousands 'screwed by society' by offering them hope for the future.
He said that part of his aim was to 'change the narrative around what homelessness is' and the fact that 'it's not just about housing'.
The Prince was introduced to the issue of homelessness by his mother when he was just 11 and it has become a deeply personal challenge.
With Homewards, a five-year project aiming to make homelessness 'rare, brief and unrepeated' in six pilot locations, he is determined to finish the work she started.
Mr Brown said of the heir to the throne: 'I think his focus on the causes of homelessness and then on how to prevent it, and then on building the partnerships, that's really the way forward.
'He has got this huge convening power [...] so I think we're going to see something quite big here.
'The whole country should feel proud of what he's doing.'
William said he was aiming to expand on more than 100 local initiatives tackling homelessness across his six flagship locations – Aberdeen, Lambeth, Newport, Sheffield, Northern Ireland and Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole – by bringing in partners from across the private, public and charity sector.
'Partnership is the key in everything that Homewards stands for,' he said. 'I can tell you very clearly it's a team game.
'Nothing happens without us all working together and doing things properly. It's very difficult for the government, it's difficult for businesses, it's difficult for the charity sector, partnerships, communities, whatever it is, the whole system gels when it works together.'
He added: 'It's about bringing as many people into the equation as possible. We've all got a part to play and if we all pull on those strings we can make a difference.
'Hope is very important. I feel less hopeful when I'm doing something by myself. I think as human beings we all want to feel connected and I always think the greatest impact is when we work together.'
'Employment pathway'
The Prince said one strand of the project that was already yielding results was the 'employment pathway', helping those affected by homelessness to find jobs.
'To get them back into society you have to give them the skillset to do that,' he said.
'If you can't find a job, you don't get skills and you don't have any skills because you're at an age when you're past your education or training opportunities, you are literally screwed by society unless somebody comes along and says, 'I'll give you a chance and an opportunity.'
'If we are going to sit back and wait for that to happen, it's going to take a very long time to sort this out.'
Mr Bartlett, who became an advocate for the programme last year, told how a recent trip with the Prince to Aberdeen 'completely changed my perception' of the issue.
He said: 'We are only at the beginning of what I think is going to be a very big success story.'