Prince William Travels to Scotland for Key Campaign as Kate Middleton Returns to Work Behind the Scenes

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The Prince of Wales is in Aberdeen to continue his work of making homelessness "rare, brief and unrepeated"

Prince William is in Scotland promoting his mission to end homelessness.

On Sept. 19, the Prince of Wales, 42, stepped out in Aberdeen to meet people working to end homelessness in the area and representatives from the Homewards Aberdeen Coalition. King Charles' son made the trip to thank those working to support those experiencing homelessness. 

Addressing homelessness is a key focus of Prince William's public royal work, and his spokesperson has credited William's late mother Princess Diana's attention to the issue as an inspiration the Homewards program, of which Aberdeen is a participating city. 

William's trip to Aberdeen — which is about an hour from Balmoral Castle, the royal family's summer retreat is Scotland — comes a week after his wife, Kate Middleton, announced that she has completed chemotherapy treatment in an emotional video message.

The Princess of Wales, 42, revealed in March that she was receiving treatment for cancer and has been outside of the limelight for much of this year to privately prioritize her health.

On Sept. 17, Kate had her first official work engagement since finishing chemotherapy when she held a meeting for her early childhood development project at Windsor Castle. The meeting marked her first Court Circular entry (the official record of engagements carried out by working royal family members) in all of 2024.

William's first stop was a visit to the Shelter Scotland's local office to learn more about the services they offer for those who are on the brink of being unhoused or are experiencing homelessness. The charity works to defend the right to a safe home and address the impact of the housing emergency on society. Shelter Scotland is part of the Homewards Aberdeen Coalition and will provide early intervention support for young people, honing in on training around financial literacy, tenancy skills and other educational programs for local schools, colleges and universities. 

Related: The Creative Way Prince William Is Bringing His Mission to Help the Unhoused to New Audiences

There, Prince William got to meet staff at the Aberdeen office and individuals who have been supported out of homelessness through the organization. 

The Prince of Wales then moved to a special event hosted by Homewards Aberdeen in collaboration with Homeless Network Scotland, where he met members of the Aberdeen homelessness sector and recognized their work in helping those in need. Guests were nominated by their organizations for their dedication to making change, and the event included lunch and inspirational speakers as well as the opportunity to network and learn.

William also met individuals to hear about their experiences in the local area and delivered a brief speech.

In June 2023, the Prince of Wales launched Homewards with The Royal Foundation to create lasting change to help end homelessness for good. Aberdeen is one of six U.K. locations (and the only one in Scotland) tapped as a flagship for the locally-led campaign, providing residents with the right resources to spark solutions around preventing and ending homelessness. 

"It's a big task, but I firmly believe that by working together it is possible to make homelessness rare, brief and unrepeated," Prince William previously said in a statement about the goal of Homewards. 

Related: Prince William to Star in Revealing New Documentary: All the Details!

Though Homewards was established as a five-year program, it's about much more than just the next several years for William — he has made clear that he is invested in this work for the rest of his life and is rooted in his experience alongside his late mother, Diana.

Prince William visited The Passage shelter in London when he was 11 with his brother, Prince Harry, when they were taken there by their mother. He later became a patron of Centrepoint, another homeless charity, even joining their sleep-out in London in 2009.

"This is something that means so much to him, and it meant so much to his mother. That first visit to The Passage has really inspired this work," the Prince of Wales' spokesperson said when Homewards was unveiled in summer 2023.

Ahead of Prince William's visit to Aberdeen, his office at Kensington Palace announced that Blue Light Card, the U.K.'s leading discount provider for emergency services, NHS, the country's social care sector and its armed forces, welcomed the homelessness workforce into its community. In doing so, Blue Light Card became an "Activator" of William's Homewards program, according to a release.

Through this partnership, Blue Light Card joins companies like Pret A Manger and Homebase in support of Homewards. Adding the homelessness workforce to its community "will recognize and support the estimated 60,000 people in the U.K. homelessness workforce, which includes housing officers, night shelter managers, outreach workers and many more," according to the release. By welcoming the sector, "it is acknowledging the essential service they provide by working tirelessly every day, going above and beyond in a challenging environment, to prevent homelessness and ensure that people have a safe place to call home," the release continued.

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In survey results shared by Kensington Palace and gathered by St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity, 52% of those working within the homelessness sector sometimes struggle to pay their bills. Nearly half have spent their own money on work-related costs, and 51% reported that they always or often feel at risk of burnout. Through this partnership with Homewards, Blue Light Card will provide practical ways for the homelessness workforce to save money and improve their own wellbeing, from discounts on groceries and utilities to coffees and meals out with friends and family after a long day at work.

"This workforce may not be as easily identifiable as uniformed blue light workers like nurses, doctors, police or firefighters, but we see them," Alidad Moghaddam, chief executive officer at Blue Light Card, said in a statement. Moghaddam continued, "Preventing and ending homelessness can only be achieved with the continued dedication of these very special people, and the impact they have is why they are so deserving of an offer that's dedicated to them. If we can play even a small part to support their health and wellbeing and show how much we value and appreciate them, we will do that."

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