Prince William celebrated 20 years as patron of Centrepoint on Tuesday with a visit to the charity’s new London headquarters, a massive cake, and a pledge that he will never be an ornamental patron.
While the royal had a chance to meet with many staff, volunteers, and beneficiaries of Centrepoint’s services during his visit, he also had the chance to participate in the ‘Wall of Hope’ mural by painting a heart at its centre to represent the many people the charity has helped over the years.
Kensington Palace called the mural a “symbol of resilience, progress and the mission to ensure no young person faces homelessness alone.”
The Prince of Wales also heard about a pilot project Centrepoint and Homewards—Prince William’s programme to help end homelessness across the United Kingdom by working with community groups in targeted areas—have partnered on called Upstream England, which will identify students who are at risk of becoming homeless and taking steps to help their families.
Prince William gave a brief speech in which he thanked the many people who work at Centrepoint, many longer than his 20 years with the charity, and said “it’s an amazing moment to think, in 20 years, how much has changed and been achieved by all of you.”
He added: “The Centrepoint family is one I am very proud to be a part of and I can’t thank you all enough for the hard work, every day, you give to help other people.”
Prince William was introduced to Centrepoint by his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, who became the charity’s patron in 1992. She spoke of homelessness often to William and Harry, he revealed last year, and now William carries on with his own children as they do the school run.
William became patron of Centrepoint in 2005 and, as Seyi Obakin, the chief executive of the charity, told reporters, the future king vowed to never be an “ornamental patron.”
Obakin said: “Some of the things we have been able to do, we probably would not have done without his patronage. When I first met him, I said to him ‘I’d like you to be patron for a very long time’ and he told me he wanted to get involved, understand what’s going on and know how he could help. He has been true to his word in every sense.”
Over on social media, Kensington Palace shared a short video of William’s visit to Centrepoint, captioning it: “Delighted to be at @centrepointuk to celebrate 20 years as their Patron, and to meet with their Prevention Team to hear about their important work.”
