Prince William Went Incognito Selling Magazines to Help the Homeless

Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

After the pomp and circumstance of the queen's Platinum Jubilee over the weekend, Prince William was back at work — though this time around, it was less glamorous than his usual schedule of to-dos. According to People, William skipped out on his Saville Row tailoring and put on a red vest to sell the latest copy of Big Issue magazine on the streets of London. Usually, that duty goes to "homeless people, long-term unemployed people, and those who need money to avoid getting into debt." William wanted to bring attention to those people, though he didn't want to bring any attention to himself in the process, so he put on the usual uniform that comes with the job — red vest and baseball cap — and went about his business.

Former Metropolitan Policeman Supt. Matthew Gardner told The Sun that his brother-in-law spotted the future king of England while he was out selling magazines.

"What an honour to have a private moment with our future king who was humble and working quietly in the background, helping the most needy. These 'silent gestures' often go unrecognised," Gardner wrote in his LinkedIn post.

LinkedIn/Matthew Gardner

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Gardner added that William was very adept at his job, going as far as offering up alternative forms of payment for people who didn't have cash but still wanted to help out.

"The finale to this unique occasion was when Prince William asked my brother-in-law If he wanted to buy the Big Issue, to which he replied 'I have no change,'" Gardner said. "At this point, William produced a mobile card machine… you cannot teach that! Priceless, or should I say 'princely.'"

People adds that neither William's office nor Buckingham Palace has commented on the news, but that the volunteer work aligns with Princess Diana's work with the homeless. He continues to be a patron of Centrepoint, a homeless charity she also supported, and has spoken about how he teaches his children about the issue when he can.

"On the school run already [...] whenever we see someone who is sleeping rough on the street I talk about it and I point it out and I explain," William said during the BBC special A Berry Royal Christmas in 2019. "And they are all very interested. They are like: 'Why can't they go home?'"