Prince William Becomes Homeless Sleeps On The Streets
Submitted by tcnewsguide
In a tale like something from the story, 'The Prince and the Pauper', Buckingham Palace's Prince William became homeless for a night and slept in a cold alley on the streets of London. It was the hard knock life for a night for the prince.
Not to worry though, the prince has not fallen from grace with his queen grandmother Elizabeth. His one night on the streets is part of an effort to highlight the plight of homeless British teenagers in London.
William spent a brisk night near Blackfriars Bridge last week accompanied by Seyi Obakin, the chief executive of British homeless Centrepoint charity. Since 2005, William has been a patron of the charity.
He told reporters "I cannot, after one night, even begin to imagine what it must be like to sleep rough on London's streets night after night,"... "Poverty, mental illness, drug and alcohol dependancy and family breakdown cause people to become and then stay homeless.
"I hope that by deepening my understanding of the issue, I can help do my bit to help the most vulnerable on our streets."
William seems to be following in his late mother Princess Diana's footsteps as she was a huge advocate for the poor, hungry and sick. Diana also raised a huge amount of money and contributed enormous time to various charities including Centrepoint.
William, 27, wore jeans, a gray hooded sweat shirt and a knit hat pulled low.
Obakin said they picked out an uninhabited spot behind some garbage bins and made their bed for the chilly night. He also posted on the charity's website, saying the idea for William to spend a night on the streets was hatched in March.
"He was determined, as he has always been, to understand deeply the full range of problems a homeless young person might face," Obakin said in a report. "For me, it was a scary experience. Out of my comfortable bed. Out there in the elements. Out there on an extremely cold night, with temperatures down to -4 C (24.8 F). And it was the same for Prince William. But he was determined to do it."
"But there was no shielding from the bitter cold, or the hard concrete floor, or the fear of being accosted by drug dealers, pimps or those out to give homeless people a 'good' kicking," Obakin said.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
