Prince William’s lockdown visits revealed as he honours Princess Diana

Prince William's lockdown visits to support homeless charity The Passage have been revealed and he first visited as a child with his mother Princess Diana. 

• Prince William volunteered at his royal patronage The Passage on three separate visits throughout November 2020. 
• Prince William's royal patronage has a lovely link to Princess Diana.
• In other Royal News, the Queen reportedly 'banned' Duchess Camilla's name being mentioned in her presence after Prince Charles and Princess Diana's marriage breakdown. 

The Duke of Cambridge made three charity visits in London during November. The Passage provide services to help homeless people off the streets for good. On 30th December, they announced the news of Prince William’s visits on their website, remarking that they welcomed him ‘in a private capacity, as a volunteer, on three separate occasions during the second lockdown in November’. 

Their report revealed that the Duke of Cambridge ‘worked alongside a team of volunteers to prepare hot meals for individuals who had recently been moved off the streets and into emergency hotel accommodation’. 

The report went on to share that this wasn’t the only occasion he visited, explaining that he ‘also spent time at two of our residential projects; Passage House Assessment Centre, and Montfort House, our Housing First project for clients with complex needs’. Here he served food and also spoke with residents about their life experiences.

Prince William became The Passage’s Royal Patron in February 2019. The prince first visited The Passage in 1993 as a young child with his mother Diana, Princess of Wales.

Why is volunteering important?

The Passage Chief executive Mick Clarke spoke of how ‘volunteers are, and always will be, the lifeblood of our organisation’. 

He said: ‘This year, more than ever, our army of volunteers have enabled The Passage to keep our vital services running throughout both lockdowns and the time in-between. From our emergency food hub to fundraising, outreach to essential office support, our Home for Good programme to our residential projects, we are extremely fortunate to have such a versatile and committed group of supporters.’

The Passage’s report also revealed that their vital food hub ‘provided 70,000 meals for clients and those in emergency accommodation during both lockdowns’ and that their ‘volunteers have worked exceptionally hard to ensure that The Passage’s essential services could continue operating for vulnerable people throughout the pandemic’.

Since his first visit to The Passage as a child, Prince William has visited again many times.

Speaking in 2016, he said: “The visits I made as a child to this place left a deep and lasting impression upon me” – about how important it is to ensure that everyone in our society, especially the poorest, are treated with respect, dignity and kindness, and are given the opportunities to fulfil their potential in life."