Prince William paid a visit The Passage on Wednesday, a charity for the homeless, after it was earlier announced the same day that he had been appointed its new royal patron – but it was not the Duke’s first visit to the charity.
In 1993, William made his first visit the charity with his late mother Princess Diana, his name even sits under his mother’s in the visitor’s guest book, and he’s been back numerous times over the past 25 years.
Speaking at The Passage in 2016, the Duke 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.”
Established in 1980, The Passage is the UK’s largest resource centre for homeless and insecurely housed people and has helped over 130,000 people in crisis.
During his first visit as royal patron, the Duke of Cambridge helped the head chef, Nour Shab, prepare spaghetti bolognese before joining the lunch service with a longstanding volunteer, Malcolm.
He later met with people taking part in the charity’s ‘Home for Good’ programme, which pairs volunteers with formerly homeless clients to help them settle into community life.
Prince William helped out in the kitchen at The Passage, helping the head chef make spaghetti bolognese. (Image: Getty)
In a statement to Kensington Palace, the Chief Executive of the Passage said, “During His Royal Highness’ visits to The Passage, it has been very clear that he has a deep concern for those affected by homelessness and a real interest in our work.
“For His Royal Highness to further express his support for The Passage’s work by becoming our Royal Patron is a tremendous honour, and a testament to how much he genuinely cares about the issue.”
The Duke has been a longstanding supporter of organisations working to combat homelessness and is also the patron of Centrepoint, who work to help homeless young people, and was a charity that Princess Diana had once also been the patron of.
While the Duke was visiting The Passage, his wife, Duchess Catherine attended the Royal Foundation’s ‘Mental Health in Education’ conference to discuss the importance of consistent mental health teacher training, as well as the challenges facing its implementation.
Speaking at the conference the Duchess spoke about how important the first few years of a children’s life is and how much it can impact their future.
The Duchess said her visits to numerous charities and organisations over the years has taught her “over and over again that the root cause of so many of today’s social problems can be traced right back to the very earliest years of a person’s life and often over generations.”
“The evidence is clear the first few years of a child’s life are more pivotal for development and for future health and happiness than any other single moment in our lifetime.”
Duchess Catherine, who has long been an advocate for mental health support, particularly among youth, speaks at the Mental Health in Education conference. (Image: Getty)
Kate has long been an advocate for mental health awareness, particularly among children and within the workplace.
Later in the evening the Duchess of Cambridge attended the 100 Women in Finance gala, where she was the guest of honour, with all proceeds from the gala going towards ‘Mentally Healthy Schools’, an initiative spearheaded by the Royal Foundation’s Heads Together charity.
Earlier this month the Duchess paid a visit to a primary school during Children’s Mental Health Week, as the patron of Place2Be, an organisation that provides in-school support and expert training to improve the wellbeing of pupils, teachers and families.
