Prince William helps to prepare hot meals for the homeless hit by Covid lockdown in surprise visit
PRINCE William helped prepare hot meals as he made a surprise visit to a homelessness charity during the coronavirus lockdown.
The Duke of Cambridge visited The Passage in Westminster, central London on three separate occasions in November where he packed food and spoke with residents.
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He worked alongside a team of volunteers to prepare hot meals for people who had recently been moved off the streets and into hotel accommodation.
Prince William also loaded food from the vans and delivered food parcels.
The Duke, who is patron of the charity, also spoke with residents about their life experiences.
The charity has managed to serve 70,000 meals to those in need during the two coronavirus lockdowns in April and November.
The Passage's chief executive Mick Clarke said: "This year, more than ever, our army of volunteers have enabled The Passage to keep our vital services running throughout both lockdowns and the time in-between.
"From our emergency food hub to fundraising, outreach to essential office support, our Home for Good programme to our residential projects, we are extremely fortunate to have such a versatile and committed group of supporters.
"We were delighted to welcome our Royal Patron, The Duke of Cambridge, as a volunteer during the second lockdown, where he helped to prepare and deliver food parcels to our clients in our emergency and regular accommodation projects.
"Volunteers are, and always will be, the lifeblood of our organisation," he said.
The Duke first visited The Passage in 1993 with his mum Diana, Princess of Wales and has made several visits since.
In 2016, he said: "The visits I made as a child to this place left a deep and lasting impression upon me – about how important it is to ensure that everyone in our society, especially the poorest, are treated with respect, dignity and kindness, and are given the opportunities to fulfil their potential in life."
Homelessness pressures in the capital are reported to be approaching their "worst-ever levels" with London facing the "most severe crisis", shocking analysis shows.
who represent the 32 boroughs and the City, revealed that almost 90,000 children would spend Christmas in temporary accommodation.
Last month, Prince William and Kate Middleton embarked on a nationwide railway tour to hail communities' Covid efforts.
Over three days, they met frontline workers, volunteers, care staff, teachers and pupils as they passed on the nation's "sincere thanks and gratitude" for their work in the fight against the deadly bug.
Ahead of the 1,250 mile tour, Kensington Palace said: "The Duke and Duchess are very much looking forward to shining a spotlight on the incredible work that has been done."
Homelessness is said to be close to the Duke's heart as his mum took him and Harry to meet rough sleepers as children.
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He has been the patron of the charity Centrepoint since 2005 which provides accommodation and support to homeless people aged 16-25.
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William has previously said he explains homelessness to his children when they see rough sleepers on the school run.
When approached by The Sun, Kensington Palace declined to comment.
