Inside Prince William’s Big Plans for Mom Diana’s Birthday — and How He’s Honoring Her Wish
Prince William has embodied many of his late mother, Princess Diana’s, values and efforts toward the betterment of society. His Homewards initiative to end homelessness was, in particular, inspired by the late Princess, as she took him and Prince Harry to homeless shelters as kids. To mark Diana's birth anniversary, the Prince of Wales is set to honor the cause closest to her heart.
On July 1, 2025, what would have been Diana’s 64th birthday, William traveled to Sheffield to mark the Homewards initiative’s second anniversary. Ahead of his visit, the Prince released an open letter to the participating regions to appreciate their efforts as they are now reportedly in ‘delivery mode.’ According to People magazine, he wrote, “Your experiences are what make Homewards unique and powerful. We have the ability to harness our collective capabilities, expertise, and resources towards this common cause. I am immensely proud to say that your collective effort has already allowed us to achieve lasting impact.” He added that he was confident the initiative can “lead and inspire understanding, empathy, and optimism that homelessness can be ended.” He appreciated the six locations, commending their ‘motivation, creativity, and expertise’ that have made a ‘tangible’ difference in society. William began the initiative on his mother’s birth anniversary and has launched more than 100 projects to date.
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According to Reuters, in the ITV documentary titled Prince William: We Can End Homelessness, the Prince of Wales previously opened up about how his inspiration for beginning the initiative came from his visit to a shelter as a kid with his mother and brother. He said, “I'd never been to anything like that before, and I was a bit anxious as to what to expect. My mother went about her usual part of making everyone feel relaxed and having a laugh and joking with everyone.” The Prince continued, “That's when it informed me that there are other people out there who don't have the same life as you do.” He added, “When you're quite small ... you just think life is what you see in front of you. You don't really have a concept to look elsewhere.” The visit gave him a different perspective on life outside of the Palace and helped him learn about the struggles of different people. He said, “And it's when you meet people that I did then who put a different perspective in your head and say... I was living on the street last night.”
William is also a patron to other organizations, including The Passage and Centrepoint, that Diana once supported. Appreciating his efforts, former Executive Director of the Institute of Global Homelessness, Lydia Stazen, stated that the Homewards initiative is “exactly where [she] would expect the program to be at this point. The networks have been built, the foundations have been laid, and we are seeing really concrete outcomes.” Many experts have also claimed that William will be able to put an end to homelessness in the UK one day.