Why Prince William slept outside a station in London one “uncomfortable” night
In December of 14 years ago, Prince William and the head of a homeless organisation slept overnight in Blackfriars near a tube station in London. It was chilly. When asked how he felt about the experience by Centrepoint CEO Seyi Obakin, Prince William said he was “very uncomfortable” as they went back to the charity’s service headquarters in Soho around dawn.
The king, according to Seyi Obakin, did “much better than me,” he said. When they visited a homeless shelter, William explained that Princess Diana had showed him the other side of the city when he was only 11 years old. This was a formative experience for the young prince, who has since been working to spread awareness of the issue.
Through the Royal Foundation, Prince William plans to begin a “really big project” this month. He recently went to the launch of Reuben House, a 33-flat affordable housing development for young people from Centerpoint, in Peckham, southeast London.
According to Seyi Obakin, it is “powerful” to have Prince William participating.
Seyi Obakin recalled the night he spent with Prince William at the tube station: “He said it was very uncomfortable, but it was only one night and what worried him most was the mental state of a young person who had to do that every night, who doesn’t know what the next day is going to be like.”
He described it as “that ability he has to persuade society to think about the issue in a different way — to not think about it as just rough sleepers but think about homelessness in the round.”
“He may attract more support to the cause that otherwise would not exist from those who would think, ‘If he’s active, if he’s interested, actually I might pay some attention to this things too. He’s capable of doing that. He can do human, but he can’t handle politics,” he said.
