Prince William stuns fans as he's spotted selling The Big Issue magazine incognito on the streets of London

Prince William selling 'The Big Issue' on the street as Londoners look on in surprise - Duke's charitable efforts revealed by passer by

Prince William shows his support during a visit to the new London centre of James' Placeduring
(Image credit: Photo Yui Mok - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Prince William selling The Big Issue, a magazine usually sold by homeless or vulnerably housed people, shocked passers by in London. Despite his disguise, one individual clocked his identity and revealed how the royal is a natural salesman!


Prince William selling the Big Issue may not have been revealed at all, had it not been for one eagle-eyed fan. Matthew Gardner, a retired Met Police chief superintendent, shared his brother-in-law's experience with the famous resident of Kensington Palace.

In a post on his LinkedIn, Matthew explained, "My bother in law was in London today and saw a celebrity, so he took a photo at a distance. The celebrity saw the ‘covert surveillance’ effort and crossed the road to investigate further."

The celebrity in question, to the gentleman's surprise, was the one and only Duke of Cambridge. "What an honour to have a private moment with our future King who was humble and working quietly in the background, helping the most needy," continued Matthew.

Though many believe that Prince Charles' 'secret weapon' as King may outshine Prince William's popularity, acts like this prove that may not be the case. As the retired Met Police chief superintendent said, "These ‘silent gestures’ often go unrecognised."

However, the jewel in the crown, or as Matthew dubbed it, "the finale to this unique occasion," went above and beyond the physical presence of the Duke - because it turns out he's a dab hand at bargaining too.

He explained that after their chat, the Prince asked if his brother-in-law would like to buy a copy of The Big Issue - to which he responded that he had no change.

"At this point, William produced a mobile card machine," added Matthew. "You cannot teach that! Priceless, or should I say ‘Princely’."

Aoife Hanna
Junior News Editor

Aoife is an Irish journalist and writer with a background in creative writing, comedy, and TV production.

Formerly woman&home's junior news editor and a contributing writer at Bustle, her words can be found in the Metro, Huffpost, Delicious, Imperica and EVOKE.

Her poetry features in the Queer Life, Queer Love anthology.

Outside of work you might bump into her at a garden center, charity shop, yoga studio, lifting heavy weights, or (most likely) supping/eating some sort of delicious drink/meal.