Prince William celebrated his wife Kate’s work with young children today as he joined a conference to help end homelessness.
The Prince of Wales agreed to selfies from well-wishers and hailed a former rough sleeper who had turned his life round as ‘brave’ for telling his story.
William, 41, joined a Homewards Sheffield Local Coalition meeting at the Millennium Gallery in the South Yorkshire city to discuss ways to end homelessness.
When the topic of childhood was raised by Sheffield City Council chief executive Kate Josephs, William immediately remarked about the success of Kate’s early years projects.
Holding his palms out and smiling, he said: ‘That’s my wife’s area, she needs to be sat here.’
Prince William attends a Homewards Sheffield Local Coalition meeting in Sheffield today
William attends a Homewards Sheffield meeting at the Millennium Gallery in Sheffield today
When the topic of childhood was raised by Sheffield City Council chief executive Kate Josephs (left), William immediately remarked about the success of Kate’s early years projects.
The prince arrived in Sheffield city centre by car and walked through the Winter Garden – an urban glasshouse.
Leigh Stinchcombe, 33, grabbed William for a selfie and said afterwards he was a ‘big fan’ of the prince.
William held Leigh’s coffee mug and helped work the phone before patting his gently on the shoulder and shaking hands.
Sitting in the Millennium Gallery’s conference space with the coalition, William 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.’
The prince asked his aides to get Mr Lynam’s contact details so they could stay in touch.
William also asked the experts for their opinions about the extent of family homelessness in the city of Sheffield and impact of drug addiction on leading to rough sleeping.
He also discussed how early intervention can turn around lives and asked Mr Lynam to explain during his ‘journey’ the moments when people ‘stepped in’ to help.
Looking animated, William said: ‘You guys know this better than I do, but there is no one-size or one solution that fits all. I see it almost as an umbrella and all your ideas, wisdom and experiences together, and we can mix around and produce something.’
Two members of the coalition grabbed William after he left the room to bend his ear about their ideas for stopping homelessness.
Mr Lynam, who also served in the Navy and spent time in jail for crimes including arson and burglary, said afterwards: ‘He was a nice man and really listened. I liked him.’