Prince William Makes Surprise Trip to Northern Ireland to Highlight His Mission for the Unhoused
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11/14/2024 07:30 AM
The Prince of Wales headed to Northern Ireland on Thursday, Nov. 14
Victoria Jones/Shutterstock
Prince William at The Earthshot Prize Awards on Nov. 6Prince William is visiting Northern Ireland.
The royal father of three arrived early on Thursday, Nov. 14 for a day of events to promote his campaign for the unhoused and to highlight the creative industries in the region.
William's Homewards movement, which he recently highlighted in an in-depth docu-series Prince William: We Can End Homelessness, focuses on several key areas around the U.K., including Northern Ireland.
He kicked off the day at The Foyer, a temporary accommodation and support service for young people experiencing homelessness in Belfast. It is run by Simon Community, a homelessness charity in the area and one of the Homewards Northern Ireland local Coalition.
While there, William was shown how Simon Community delivers initiatives aimed at preventing and ending homelessness among young people leaving foster parents and other residential support.
The Prince was also introduced to young people to talk about their backgrounds and the support they have received.
Andrew Parsons/Kensington Palace
Prince William in a documentary for his Homewards CampaignHomewards, which is run by William and Princess Kate's Royal Foundation, is helping to accelerate and build up initiatives like Simon Community's Housing First For Youth service, which is working to both prevent homelessness and provide stable accommodation and support to vulnerable young people leaving fostering and residential homes.
Homewards Northern Ireland is also working to provide an innovative housing project focused on supporting young people who find themselves homeless after being in care home environments.
Like other locations where Homewards is being piloted around the U.K., new findings and successful projects are being shared across the other centers to increase knowledge of what works to help tackle issues facing the unhoused.
Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace
Prince William in Cornwall on Oct. 17William's visit came as he and wife Kate led tributes to King Charles on his 76th birthday.
In the recent documentary, the Prince reflected on how his late mother, Princess Diana, first introduced him to the issue of homelessness by taking him and his brother Prince Harry to The Passage, a U.K. charity supporting those experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
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"My mother took me to The Passage; she took Harry and I both there. I must have been 11 at the time, maybe 10. I had never been to anything like that before, and I was a bit anxious about what to expect," William says in the clip, which is believed to be his first public mention of Harry in several years.Later, William will continue his visit by highlighting the work of the creative industries.
William returned from Cape Town, South Africa on Nov. 8, after a week promoting another of his key projects, the environmental Earthshot Prize.
