George joins Prince William in preparing meal for homeless

The Prince of Wales brought his 12-year-old son Prince George to help at a homeless shelter so he could teach him about homelessness and show him the efforts of organizations trying to combat it.

Prince William took his son to a charity with deep personal ties – the Passage at Westminster – to which William was brought as a child by his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.

The passing of the torch took place last week when George helped prepare lunches for people supported by Passage, which works with homeless people in central London.

Prince George signed a guest book in December 1993, using the same page signed by William and his grandmother Diana.

Passage’s general manager Mick Clarke said Prince George arrived as he was preparing a Christmas dinner for 150 people.

“So it’s essentially ‘Are you ready to roll up your sleeves and get in?’ It was about. And indeed it was,” Mr. Clarke said.

“He was actually very similar to his father; I just wanted to stay in the mix and help,” the charity chief said.

“I would describe him as a lovely lad and he seemed really interested in what we were doing and in particular talking to the people who used our services,” Mr Clarke said.

There was competition between father and son in preparing the meal.

“William was tending to the sprouts, getting them ready so they could go on the ferry, and Prince George was helping with the Yorkshire puddings,” Mr Clarke said.

The book describes the signing of Princess Diana’s name as “a lovely, lovely moment – I think especially with Prince William pointing to George and saying, ‘That’s my mother’s signature. That’s the first time she’s brought me here.’

“I really felt full circle from 1993 to 2025 with William bringing in George,” Mr. Clarke said.

The head of the charity said Prince George’s parents were trying to show their children life outside the palace and how important it was for “the most vulnerable in society to be supported and looked after”.

And for the sake of contrast, the visit to the homelessness charity took place on the same day as the Royal Family’s annual Christmas dinner at Buckingham Palace.

Prince William has been a supporter of the Causeway since he was brought there when he was 11 by his mother, who made regular visits both officially and privately.

William runs his own campaign, Homewards, to tackle homelessness and described his first experience of visiting the Gateway as an inspiration.

He recalled experiencing the excitement of his first visit to Princess Diana, but finding unexpected warmth and happiness.

“My mom acted the same way she always did, putting everyone at ease, laughing and joking with everyone,” he said in an interview last year.

“I remember thinking at the time, if everyone doesn’t have a home, they’re all going to be really sad.

“But it was incredible to have such a happy atmosphere,” Prince William recalled.

The Passage, which draws its values ​​from social reformer St Vincent de Paul, has been operating in Westminster since 1980 and helped more than 3,000 people facing homelessness last year.

The charity says poverty is one of the main causes and “many people are just one bill away from experiencing homelessness”.

It also warns against risk factors such as addiction and substance abuse, mental health problems, domestic violence and traumatic events in the family.

The passage also highlighted the links between homelessness and people exploited through human trafficking and modern slavery.