Prince William was not yet 14 and still wearing braces when he and his mother sat down to talk. They sat side by side on the sofa in their living room on the first floor of their home at Kensington Palace – and, as they often do, they chatted about life.
Mother and son enjoyed this cozy round together. For teenage William, it was a rare moment away from brother Harry that he had Diana to himself; Later, the princess proudly told her friends how her “little boy” grew into a thoughtful young man.
Often these fireside chats were light-hearted and garrulous. But on that spring afternoon in 1996, William was unusually philosophical as they discussed one of Princess Diana’s favorite causes – the homeless.
She had just returned from a visit to The Passage, a hostel run by Catholic nuns near London’s Victoria station.
A few years earlier, Diana had taken the then eleven-year-old William there for the first time. Since then, he had accompanied her on several occasions when they stopped by privately to see their dreaded principal, Sister Bridie Dowd, and to help the night shift staff prepare for that evening’s heavy sleepers. The prince has remained a visitor ever since.
Prince William first visited St. Vincent’s Center in central London in 1994 with Princess Diana and Prince Harry
What William said to his mother that day may well have played a crucial role in his extraordinarily brave announcement this week that he intends to make ending homelessness a lifelong goal.
“When I become king,” he told the princess, using the deliberately cautious language of royal family members, “I will let the homeless live in our palaces.”
Diana was certainly impressed by such an imaginative – albeit unlikely – proposal to resolve a social crisis many times more pressing now than it was then. It was, she said, just the kind of unorthodox idea she could have come up with.
But more than a quarter century later, this youthful remark offers a fascinating insight into the kind of monarch that will be King William V and the influences that shape him today.
For years, his somewhat reserved and wary approach to his royal role has contrasted with Harry’s outspoken, hot-headed, easygoing style. Insiders have long believed that while William resembled his mother physically, he was more of a Windsor in temperament: cautious like his late grandmother and stubborn like Charles.
But increasingly, it seems that Diana’s influence on him outweighs his father’s. In fact, as he ages and approaches the throne, his attitude seems more like the mother he lost than ever.
In an interview, William has indicated that he is keen to introduce his children, George, Charlotte and Louis, to the problems he first faced when he was an 11-year-old boy. Prince George is only nine years old, but Harry first accompanied his brother and when he was a mother at that age, he went to a hostel in Soho.
When Diana took her sons to the Passage and other centers, royal officials were snippy and dismissive. Courtiers working for then-Prince Charles complained that such visits “interrupted” the brothers’ childhoods and that they were “used” as a public relations weapon in the couple’s bitter struggles over their separation.
This week’s proof is that these mostly private encounters not only served William well, but have stayed with him ever since. As Diana herself told me, she would not have taken them unless they found the experience deeply rewarding.
The Duke of Cambridge (left) sells the Big Issue in London on Monday June 20 with Big Issue seller Dave Martin (right).
Countless visits never appeared in the media. She often went to Cardboard City, a then notorious homeless camp near Waterloo train station. It was potentially dangerous and unpredictable, as the violent residents were often drunk or on heavy drug use.
At the time, many of those robbed were ex-soldiers, and Diana often complained that more needed to be done to help those who were willing to give their lives for her country.
In the same vein, William made several unseen forays into the streets of London. He was once spotted selling the Big Issue (the newspaper that campaigns for the homeless) and delivering groceries during the pandemic.
He has adopted Diana’s approach to these undercover visits: no fuss, no frills, and no formality.
Of his plans for his own children, he says, “If I can reconcile it with their schooling, it will definitely affect them.”
Revealingly, he has conversations with his children that are similar to those Diana had with him. ‘Why are you here?’ he asks them when they spot homeless people on the street. ‘What’s up?’
He proudly says his children will grow up understanding that “some of us are very lucky” and others “need a helping hand.”
How similar does that sound to the message Diana was fond of conveying to her privileged boys? “I keep telling them that not everyone lives in palaces with chauffeured cars and vacations several times a year,” she told me.
William’s language is also remarkably familiar. Once, when a mother and sons spent a weekend at the home of a wealthy art collector, William was overwhelmed by the luxury of it all. As he looked at the priceless treasures and furnishings, he said, “Mom, whoever lives here must be really rich.”
Diana replied, “Not rich darling, happy.”
The princess was often mocked for showing her sons life outside the palace walls. But whether it was waiting in line for burgers or simply navigating public transport, she firmly believed that they needed to be properly opened to the world they lived in. These were real adventures – and something they didn’t get to experience with their father.
And yet, at times in the years following Diana’s death, it seemed as if her role in the lives of princes would be erased from royal history. We now know that was not the case. As the 20th anniversary of the Princess’ death approached, both William and Harry spoke movingly of memories of their mother and the debt they owed her.
Diana was a frequent visitor to Cardboard City (pictured), then a notorious homeless camp near Waterloo train station
Unfortunately, as the brothers’ relationship deteriorated, affection for Diana turned into a dispute over her inheritance. Who was really Diana’s heir? The impulsive Harry or the dutiful William?
Harry has chosen a grievance narrative and uses it to disguise himself as his mother’s real son. He has portrayed Meghan as a victim of a ruthless palace, just like Diana. He often mentioned her name in his book and in interviews.
In contrast, William made his claim by choosing his official priorities. At the age of 23 he took over his mother’s patronage of Centrepoint, the charity for the homeless, and later succeeded her as President of the Royal Marsden Hospital, where she was so committed to the fight against cancer. These were two of his most important concerns.
Meanwhile, he allowed his children’s hand-drawn Mother’s Sunday greeting cards – written to the grandmother they never knew – to be posted to Kensington Palace’s Instagram account. The message was clear: Diana was also his mother.
The truth is that both brothers obviously inherited a lot from her. And what’s particularly intriguing is that, with so much new work to do as the Prince of Wales, William explains that his motivation is his mother’s unfinished business.
Courtiers are wondering if he will give the huge portfolios he inherited from his father – such as the Duchy of Cornwall – the same attention he is currently showing in his plans to end homelessness.
Perhaps because it had been such a big part of his own life for so long, Charles became obsessed with every detail of the 130,000-acre estate, with its vast holdings of farmland, residential and commercial properties, including London’s Oval cricket ground.
When he was Prince of Wales, Charles knew all his tenants by name and would drop in regularly for a cup of tea to find out about their problems, from ringworm in cattle to dry stone walls collapsing.
In fairness, it’s a well run and lucrative business which may give William more time to pursue other interests. And, of course, William wants to experiment with building public housing on the duchy’s land to help combat homelessness. a refinement of the teenage proposal to open the palaces to predatory sleepers.
At the age of 23, Prince William took over his mother’s patronage of Centrepoint, the charity for the homeless, and later succeeded her as President of the Royal Marsden Hospital, where she was so committed to the fight against cancer
Could there be royal tension in all this? As the Mail reported this week, Charles’ The Prince’s Foundation pointed out that four years ago it launched a “call to action” on housing, including a 14-point plan for making long-term mixed-use properties a reality for short-term Profit.
And it wasn’t too many years ago that William was rebuked by aides for his proposal to strip the royal palaces of their ivory hoard and turn much of it into historical works of art. He inherited his passion for conservation, no matter how thoughtless, from his father.
So who does he follow the most? According to one of Diana’s oldest friends, William is driven by his mother’s influence.
“He has a strong sense of duty, which he inherited from his father, but everything else – and what motivates him as a parent – comes from Diana,” says the friend.
“He has an instinctive sense that she had.” But there’s one thing I think his mother would like: She was adored by people for all the things she did. William wants to be loved like that.’
The affection for Diana was unique: an outsider trapped in a miserable marriage who found solace in the less privileged lives of the common people she met.
Williams’ backcountry is the complete opposite: a uniquely happy marriage to Kate and a partnership of equals where, unlike his parents, there is no competition for the limelight.
It is unlikely, for example, that William deliberately chose one of the most important days in the royal calendar for the day he decides his children are ready to meet the homeless.
That’s what Diana did when she took William and Harry into the arcade on the opening day of Royal Ascot in 1994, where Prince Charles and other family members were photographed in top hats and tails, mingling with their social friends.
Since his school days, William has been considered the reluctant savior of the House of Windsor. When he was 14, Time Magazine put him on the cover under the headline “Can This Boy Save the Monarchy?”
His determination to make ending homelessness his life’s work shows that his vision of a monarchy will not be based on a 1,000-year tradition, but on the influences of the mother he lost when he was 15.
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