Prince William Doc Showcases Homelessness Work In PR Shift

 

A documentary with rare behind-the-scenes access to Prince William as his philanthropic foundation works to reduce homelessness will premiere Wednesday in the UK, ahead of a wider streaming release Friday.

The two-part film, which follows the Prince of Wales during the first year of his Homewards initiative tackling homelessness, is the latest departure from the stiff formality of traditional UK royal public relations.

Granted unprecedented access, the documentary team’s advance clips show the heir to the throne sharing the impact of visiting a homeless shelter as a child with his late mother, Princess Diana, and brother Prince Harry.

“I had never been to anything like that before and I was a bit anxious just what to expect,” he recalls on-screen.

“My mother went about her usual art of making everyone feel relaxed and having a laugh and joking with everyone.

“I remember having some good conversations… that’s when it dawned on me that there are other people out there who don’t have the same life as you do.”

The documentary comes as William and wife Catherine adapt their PR strategy this year amid the Princess of Wales’ cancer battle.

Kate, as she is widely known, has used highly personalised videos posted on social media to share details of her diagnosis — revealed in March — and subsequent treatment.

The move, in particular an intimate and highly polished family video released last month to announce that her chemotherapy had finished, has been characterised as the most dramatic shift in royal communications in decades.

Harry and his wife Meghan — who are based in the United States — have for several years allowed filmmakers candid access, but it is unusual for William and Kate as well as other UK royals.

Professor Pauline Maclaran at Royal Holloway, University of London, said William appeared to be trying to “broaden his reach” with the film.

“He’s controlling the narrative of his work,” she told AFP.

‘Pushing forward’

The documentary chronicles the work of Homewards, a five-year programme launched by William and his Royal Foundation.

It aims to show it is possible to end homelessness, by working with six UK locations.

The initiative comes with both homelessness — legally defined as lacking a secure place where you are entitled to live — and rough sleeping rising nationwide.

There were 178,560 households initially assessed as being homeless in 2023-24, an annual increase of 12 percent, according to the latest government statistics.

Meanwhile, a snapshot count on one night around a year ago found 3,898 people sleeping rough, the second consecutive yearly rise.

The film captures William recruiting his dedicated team for the Homewards initiative and working on plans to build supported housing on his own land.

The wealthy prince’s involvement has been met with scepticism by some, with the words of anti-monarchist Graham Smith calling for government, not royal, action shared with him on-screen.

William responds that “criticism drives you forward” and that by “pushing forward to deliver change, hope and optimism” he hopes to do “something that has not been done before”.

The prince also opens up about broaching the subject with his own three children, revealing he has used the school run to discuss it with them.

“The first few times I thought ‘do I bring this up or should I wait to see if they notice?’ Sure enough, they did,” he recounts in the film.

“They were sort of in silence when I said what was going on.”

The documentary — “Prince William: We Can End Homelessness” — directed by BAFTA-winning director Leo Burley, airs on Britain’s ITV network on Wednesday and Thursday, before launching on Disney+.

AFP