It’s no secret that when it comes to what the royal family deems worthy of sharing (be it via social media or otherwise), plenty of thought will have gone into the message it sends – and Prince William’s latest two-part ITV documentary, Prince William: We Can End Homelessness, is no exception.
The first episode aired last night, around six weeks after the Princess of Wales released a surprisingly candid video about being cancer-free – and the two-part programme very much continues on with this suspected new PR strategy.
It’s one that aims to convince the public we’re in an era of royal honesty. One where the traditional ‘never complain, never explain’ mantra adopted by the late Queen Elizabeth II has been binned off, in favour of their more human sides coming to the fore. Criticism surrounding the sticky intersection of people with such enormous net worths getting involved in the lives of those with very little is also refreshingly tackled head on.
Really, it’s what many have been demanding from Britain’s first family for years – but will it ever be enough to sway the royal popularity polls, which show over a third of UK residents are still either anti or unsure about them?
The two-parter follows the Prince as he researches and establishes his Homewards project, which aims to make being homeless “rare, brief and unrepeated” by bringing together various charities and organisations, as well as building supported accommodation for those in need on his own land.
The Homewards project focuses on six different parts of the UK, from Sheffield to Aberdeen, showcasing incredible local schemes and moving firsthand accounts from people who’ve lived through homelessness, from footballer Fara Williams to Vincent Lewis – a Big Issue seller who struggles to sleep indoors following a deadly fire that killed his mother. As the Prince himself says, before throwing the airtime over to others with more knowledge on the subject of facing housing issues, it’s hard not to be moved and feel the urge to help.
But back to the criticism of William – something which is addressed nice and early in episode one (and then again in the second): after the narrator tells viewers that “some of the strongest criticism of Homewards has been focussed on Prince William’s wealth and privilege”, a clip from James O’Brien’s LBC show appears. In it, the presenter says, “We should all be delighted that the Prince of Wales is launching a 5-year programme to prove it is possible to end homelessness in Britain. He’s got the right aims but here’s the problem, Graham Smith from [anti-monarchy group] Republic says ‘The last thing we need is for William to get involved in this issue; a man who has three huge homes and a vast estate. Homelessness is about government policy and investment, it’s not going to be solved by charity or royal patronage’.”
It’s a bold move to address the comments in black and white, willingly propelling them to an even wider audience, but William responds to it all with a wry smile, hinting he’s aware of the narrative surrounding him – but is firmly remaining unbothered.
The royal replies, addressing the camera from the comfort of his own sofa, “I think if I answered every critic I’d be here all day. But, you know, criticism drives you forwards. I think it’s right to question but ultimately, we’re pushing forwards to deliver change and hope and optimism into a world that has frankly had very little of it for a long time. I hope I can bring something that’s not been done before.”
The film then cuts to Seyi Obakin, the CEO of homeless charity Centrepoint, giving a glowing character reference, “I’d rather have a Prince in a Palace who is [doing something about homelessness] rather than one who is aloof and doesn’t get involved.” And, alongside lifting the lid on what – and who – homelessness really looks like and impacts, it is clear that this is the other narrative the programme is eager to put forward.
Obakin is far from the only witness to William’s goodness and relatability either, with one particularly moving endorsement for the Prince coming from a woman named Lainey, who lives in temporary accommodation, and who expresses her surprise at how approachable the future King was during their meeting – despite him being a “poshie”.
The Prince of Wales also addresses the criticism in less overt ways too, by explaining he’s using his newly-inherited Duchy of Cornwall powers to build 24 homes for those in need. “I now have the ability, which I didn’t have before, to push through things and issues that I care about,” he says, politely sending a message to those who tweet things like: “Listen I love Prince William and what he's doing for homelessness but just worth noting Buckingham Palace has 775 rooms [...] And that's just one Palace.”
He doesn’t skirt around finances either, adding, “At some point you’ve got to put your hand in your pocket and say, ‘Right, we’re going to build a whole project around this and we’re actually going to do something that’s really going to make a difference to people’s lives’.”
It all follows neatly on from the Princess of Wales’ recent video in which she shared the joyful news that she is now cancer-free, along with behind-the-scenes footage of her, William and their children spending time together in nature (with a dash of PDA between the couple). For many, that signalled the start of a new, more human era of the royals – who seem to be making concerted efforts to close the gap between ‘us’ and ‘them’. Prince William tackling homelessness extends that mentality to those on the furthest end of the scale when it comes to the wealth divide; plainly, he’s saying he cares about his future subjects – but is aware that not everyone will believe or support that.
Let’s wait and see if Camilla, the Queen Consort, manages to achieve the same in her upcoming documentary, Her Majesty The Queen: Behind Closed Doors, which spotlights the work she has done in the domestic abuse space. Arguably, Camilla has an ever bigger task on her hands – and more haters to convince of her intentions and character.
Prince William: We Can End Homelessness is available on ITVX
Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
