Prince William Travels to Scotland for Homewards Campaign as Kate Middleton Resumes Her Royal Duties
On Sept. 19, the Prince of Wales, 42, stepped out in Aberdeen to meet people working to end homelessness in the area and representatives from the Homewards Aberdeen Coalition. King Charles’ son made the trip to thank those working to support those experiencing homelessness.Â
Addressing homelessness is a key focus of Prince William’s public royal work, and his spokesperson has credited William’s late mother Princess Diana’s attention to the issue as an inspiration the Homewards program, of which Aberdeen is a participating city.Â
William’s trip to Aberdeen — which is about an hour from Balmoral Castle, the royal family’s summer retreat is Scotland — comes a week after his wife, Kate Middleton, announced that she has completed chemotherapy treatment in an emotional video message.
The Princess of Wales, 42, revealed in March that she was receiving treatment for cancer and has been outside of the limelight for much of this year to privately prioritize her health.
On Sept. 17, Kate had her first official work engagement since finishing chemotherapy when she held a meeting for her early childhood development project at Windsor Castle. The meeting marked her first Court Circular entry (the official record of engagements carried out by working royal family members) in all of 2024.
READ: When Will Princess Kate Make Her Next Public Appearance After Completing Chemo?
William’s first stop was a visit to the Shelter Scotland’s local office to learn more about the services they offer for those who are on the brink of being unhoused or are experiencing homelessness. The charity works to defend the right to a safe home and address the impact of the housing emergency on society. Shelter Scotland is part of the Homewards Aberdeen Coalition and will provide early intervention support for young people, honing in on training around financial literacy, tenancy skills and other educational programs for local schools, colleges and universities.Â
There, Prince William got to meet staff at the Aberdeen office and individuals who have been supported out of homelessness through the organization.
The Prince of Wales then moved to a special event hosted by Homewards Aberdeen in collaboration with Homeless Network Scotland, where he met members of the Aberdeen homelessness sector and recognized their work in helping those in need. Guests were nominated by their organizations for their dedication to making change, and the event included lunch and inspirational speakers as well as the opportunity to network and learn.
William also met individuals to hear about their experiences in the local area and delivered a brief speech.
“When I launched Homewards last year, I made clear our determination to work in collaboration to demonstrate that it is possible to end homelessness — making it rare, brief and unrepeated. We knew from the outset, Homewards would only be successful if we built on all your incredible work, knowledge and insight,” Prince William said in part.
“As you all know too well, homelessness is a complex issue. The wide variety of roles and expertise present today reflects that — from those that work in street outreach, to support workers, youth workers, mental health nurses, housing officers and night shelter managers,” he continued. “Just like our emergency services, you are the people who are there for others when they are in greatest need, providing unconditional care, compassion and humanity.”
In June 2023, the Prince of Wales launched Homewards with The Royal Foundation to create lasting change to help end homelessness for good. Aberdeen is one of six U.K. locations (and the only one in Scotland) tapped as a flagship for the locally-led campaign, providing residents with the right resources to spark solutions around preventing and ending homelessness.
“It’s a big task, but I firmly believe that by working together it is possible to make homelessness rare, brief and unrepeated,” Prince William previously said in a statement about the goal of Homewards.