Pictures of Diana and William visiting the homeless have been seen for the first time

The Prince of Wales said the “inspiration and guidance” from his mother, Diana, was a driving force behind his personal commitment to tackling homelessness.

In an upcoming ITV documentary, Prince William talks about the profound impact of visiting the Passage homeless shelter with his mother as a child – and how it helped him see “beyond the palace walls”.

The prince admits he sometimes feels guilty for not being able to do more – and wants to share his own children's sense of compassion for those facing hardship.

“When I was very young, my mother started talking about homelessness, as I now walk my children to school,” Rajkumar said.

If passion projects reveal anything about what drives someone, it's probably their support passage Charity is the key to unlocking Prince William's character.

The Westminster-based charity provides support and friendship for London's homeless and helps them find safe accommodation.

Forged by childhood memories of meeting his mother, the prince's longtime support for charities has provided the foundation for his present towards home project, set to tackle homelessness across the UK.

“My mother took me to The Passage. He took Harry and me there. I was about 11, I think, probably, at the time. Maybe 10. I've never been to anything like that before. And I was a bit worried about what to expect,” he said in the ITV documentary, Prince William: We Can End Homelessness.

“My mother took her usual share of making everyone feel comfortable and laughing with everyone.

“I remember at the time, kind of thinking, well, if everybody didn't have a house, they'd all be really sad.

“But it was incredible what a happy atmosphere it was,” Prince William recalled.

The Passage published four previously unseen photographs of the prince visiting his London base with his mother, the princess, in June and December 1993.

“I remember some good conversations – just playing chess and chatting,” says the prince, of his childhood visits to The Passage.

“That's when it occurred to me that there are other people out there who don't have the same life as you.”

Prince William became the charity's official patron in 2019, but those visits have continued both publicly and privately throughout his life, often lasting longer than scheduled.

In the ITV documentary, the prince was filmed serving food and cleaning up at The Passage's Christmas dinner, hugging some of the regulars there. She is even seen sitting next to the charity's head chef Claudette Dawkins, as she organizes her royal entourage.

He spoke of his concern for some of the homeless people he encountered “who are in a really bad place… it's like you want to protect them”.

Over the years, Prince says he's spent a lot of time gathering information about homelessness — now he wants to do something practical to prevent it.

The prince addressed the question of his own privileged status – and argued that having such a large public platform is a good way to put it to good use by taking action on issues such as reducing homelessness.

“I feel, with my position and my platform, I should bring about change,” he says.

“I've spent enough time learning and hearing what people have been through that every time I feel almost guilty that I'm not doing more to help.

“I feel compelled to act, because I don't want to talk about it. I just don't want to hear it. I actually want to see someone smile because their life is better,” says Rajkumar.

“Creating a project is the only way I can see, to try and alleviate that at the moment [the problem]And help those who are less fortunate, or in very difficult circumstances.”

Mick Clarke, chief executive of The Passage, said of Prince William's visit: “I think he feels most at home when he's chatting with our clients and hearing their stories.

“People can be very nervous, but he's very good at putting people at ease.”

Prince William's Homewards project, which has six flagship locations across the UK, aims to show homelessness is not inevitable.

“The ultimate ambition is to prove that we can prevent homelessness in the region, so others will come and go, well, if they can do it, why can't we?” said the prince.

It draws on the experience of Finland, where homelessness was effectively reduced by a policy of providing safe housing for people with wrap-around support for contributing issues such as mental health problems and addictions.

Among those William spoke to during the film was Sabrina Cohen-Hatton, who became a Rough sleeper to become Chief Fire Officer. He used his own life experience to advise the prince's current project.

Lord John Bird, the outspoken founder of the Big Issue, has warned of decades of failed initiatives to tackle homelessness, but still supports the prince's intervention.

“I'm so impressed that a young man who has young children and can go and live the life of Rhyl, has decided to stand up for the work he wants to do and the work his mother did.

“Princess Diana is perhaps the only person who has shed light on homelessness.

“What he was saying was, these are people and I'm going to address that myself. And I think as his son William said, this is the legacy.”

Prince William: We Can End Homelessness, ITV1, 30 and 31 October, 21.00.