The determination of Britain's Prince William to tackle youth homelessness can be traced back to his late mother.

Prince William

Prince William

The 33-year-old royal has credited Princess Diana for the work he's now doing with Centrepoint, the country's leading charity for homeless young people.

William - who is a patron of the organisation - told The Big Issue: "I think it goes back to when my mother first took the role when I was a small boy. I was very struck by the people I met and what they were struggling with - sleeping rough, sofa surfing, not having basic comforts a lot of us take for granted.

"That really struck me at a young age, bearing in mind the gulf for me, growing up in a palace, and seeing the other end of the spectrum where others were faced with huge personal challenges and were overcoming them. That was powerful to see at a young age."

The prince also admitted he struggles to understand how homelessness is still so commonplace in the 21st century.

He said: "In today's western world, with all the advancements and privileges we have, the fact some people don't have a bed or a roof over their head is quite ridiculous."


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