British Prince William (39) took to the streets of London unannounced and barely recognizable on Wednesday to sell the local version of the street newspaper and raise money for the homeless. Passers-by did not know what they saw when the prince, dressed in the well-known red outfit of the sellers, offered them a copy of ‘Big issue’.
Several people took their chance to take a picture with the prince, including taxi driver Neil Kramer. He was unsuspectingly charging his electric vehicle when a man introduced himself as William. “He showed interest, was friendly and immediately remembered my name,” he told local media. After the conversation, the man had to pinch himself to believe it.
The magazine of the eponymous charity is normally sold by homeless people, people who have long been unable to find a job and people who urgently need money to stay out of debt, according to ‘BBC News’. They receive five magazines per person for free, which they sell to the public for around EUR 3.50 each.
It seems that William wanted to make it clear that you can also pin. When a passerby said he had “no change” with him, the prince reportedly pulled out a bancontact device right away.
“He was amazing and so friendly,” said passerby Richard Hannant. “What struck me most was that we’ve just had a big event for the Queen’s throne jubilee and a few days later he’s out on the street supporting a good cause. (…) One event sees the whole world, when it was so small, literally along the road with a homeless person next to him.”
William has been helping homeless people for years after his mother Diana showed him how and where they slept as a child. When the prince himself sees homeless people sleeping with his eldest children George (8) and Charlotte (7) on his way to school, he says that he always talks about it.
In 2019, the prince became a patron of The Passage, an organization that helps homeless people change their lives. Last year William visited the facility where packed lunches are made for people in need.
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