Prince William describes why he sold The Big Issue on London street

Prince William has described how a childhood visit to a homeless shelter with his mother inspired his commitment to helping homelessness charities.

Earlier this month, he took to London's streets to sell the Big Issue, a magazine which is sold by the homeless and long-termed unemployed.

In an article in this month's issue, he wrote about how his mother took him to a homeless shelter when he was 11.

He said he would do the same with his children "as my mother did for me".

The prince described how Diana, Princess of Wales, took him to the shelter to broaden his horizons. He is now the patron of homelessness charities Centrepoint and The Passage.

"Ever since I came here with my mother, homelessness has stuck with me as an issue I want to fight for. I've done everything I can to raise the profile of the homeless, and I want to do a lot more," he said.

He added: "While I may seem like one of the most unlikely advocates for this cause, I have always believed in using my platform to help tell those stories and to bring attention and action to those who are struggling."

Speaking ahead of his 40th birthday on Tuesday, the prince said he felt it was a good time to "highlight something that matters to me".

"So, for my part, I commit to continue doing what I can to shine a spotlight on this solvable issue not just today, but in the months and years to come.

"And in the years ahead, I hope to bring George, Charlotte and Louis to see the fantastic organisations doing inspiring work to support those most in need - just as my mother did for me."

Wearing a red vendor's vest and baseball cap and official accreditation on his chest, the prince joined Dave Martin, who had volunteered to show William the ropes.

They spent the time outside a Sainsbury's Local supermarket in Victoria - a 10-minute walk from Buckingham Palace.

News about the famous Big Issue seller soon spread through word of mouth and a queue formed, with people eager to meet the future king.

As a result the pair sold 32 copies of the magazine in under an hour, the same number which it would normally take Mr Martin to sell in a week.

The prince told The Big Issue he felt optimistic about tackling homelessness, even though he believed the momentum gained from the Everyone In initiative - where rough sleepers were moved into accommodation at the start of the pandemic - may have been lost.

He wrote: "It started to feel that actually, this issue isn't quite as big to tackle as we think. But it feels like it's gone back to what it was before the pandemic.

"We can fix it. It is possible to - I never want to say completely end homelessness, because every day something else might happen for someone - but get on top of it more than we have done."

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