Catherine would have liked to be sitting here, Prince William suggests on royal visit
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The Prince of Wales acknowledged the absence of the Princess from public engagements during a visit to Sheffield on Tuesday.
Prince William suggested that his wife would like to have been sitting with him to hear about work on her specialist subject of childhood development.
During his visit on Tuesday to see a project to help end homelessness, he talked to Kate Joseph, the chief executive of Sheffield City Council, about the importance of childhood experiences.
He said, smiling: “Venturing into my wife’s territory here. She needs to be sat here to hear this.”
The Prince joined a conference to tackle the problem of homelessness, agreeing to selfies and waving to those who had come to see him.
The Princess is at home as she continues her recovery from major abdominal surgery. She is not expected to be back at work until after Easter, although is understood to have been closely following work in her chosen sector of early years.
Prince William was in Sheffield for two engagements unveiling major commitments to his Homewards initiative to end homelessness in the UK.
At one, he joined the Homewards Sheffield Local Coalition meeting at the Millennium Gallery to discuss ways to end homelessness.
He heard from project worker Chris Lynam, 41, who described how he had turned his life around after he ended up homeless, then in jail, seven years ago.
William said: “I want to say how brave you are to be here telling your story – it’s amazing where you are.”
He also discussed how early intervention can turn around lives and asked Mr Lynam to explain the moments when people stepped in to help.
“You guys know this better than I do, but there is no one-size or one solution that fits all,” said the Prince. “I see it almost as an umbrella and all your ideas, wisdom and experiences together, and we can mix around and produce something.”
Leigh Stinchcombe, 33, persuaded William into a selfie, with the Prince holding his coffee mug and helping to work the phone before shaking hands.
Peter Brownley, 61, told Prince William he was a huge fan of the Royal family and had sent the Princess of Wales a get well soon card. “You really are very kind,” said the Prince.
In one engagement, the Prince was praised for bringing together key players in Sheffield, one of the six flagship Homewards locations where he and his team are working to eradicate homelessness within the next five years.
He said: “I appreciate that, but this has been a team effort. It’s the only way it’s going to work. This is the start of the journey – this is just the beginning. I am excited you are all sitting around the table and are here.”
He unveiled a partnership with Homebase, the DIY store, which has pledged an investment of £1 million to support Homewards in furnishing and decorating new housing projects.
In a second major initiative, William revealed that local Sheffield landlords have committed to provide 31 homes as a start for families at risk of, or experiencing, homelessness in the Yorkshire city.
Asking those who have experienced homelessness for their thoughts, the Prince heard how there was still too much stigma and limited long-term wraparound care.
“That wraparound care is critical,” he said. “People come from so many difficult backgrounds. The needs are diverse and great. Hopefully we are starting to challenge the stigma around social housing. Things are changing.
“You don’t see the hidden homeless of families. You see a lot of people sleeping rough, but not the other stories. We are trying to bring these other facets out.”
One of those to whom he spoke spoke was Kwajo Tweneboa, 25, an influencer and campaigner from Croydon, south London, who said he was “blown away” by William’s determination to use his position to bring about systemic change.
Mr Tweneboa has personally experienced homelessness since the age of 12 – finding himself living in a storage container with his family at one point – and has devoted his life to highlighting the often horrific stories of those suffering from sub-standard social housing.
He said: “People up and down the country are living in slum-like conditions. There are not enough solutions. When I spoke to William’s team, I thought ‘yes, they get this’. They want to do something. Those living in poor conditions do not often have their voices heard. He hears them.
“It’s the biggest emergency that this country faces at the moment, with a huge knock-on effect on other services. He is one of the most famous people on the planet. He is absolutely to be applauded.”
It came as the King said he was “bitterly disappointed” to not be able to host a reception for Korean War veterans at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday afternoon.
In his place, the Princess Royal and the Duchess of Edinburgh welcomed around 200 veterans to the Bow Room on Tuesday.
Delivering a speech on behalf of the King, who is not undertaking any public engagements while he receives treatment for cancer, Princess Anne said she was “filling in for my senior brother”.
In the remarks, Charles said it had been a personal ambition to host the veterans, adding: “You might therefore imagine how particularly disappointed and frustrated I am to not be able to join you all in person.”
However, he did host a private meeting ahead of the reception with four veterans of the three-year war.
Also on Tuesday, the Government confirmed that the Royal family will receive £86.3 million in the Sovereign Grant for the financial year 2024-5. The figure matches the amount for this year.
