The Prince of Wales says his mother Diana's “inspiration and guidance” has been a driving force behind his personal commitment to tackling homelessness.

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

The prince admits he sometimes feels guilty about not being able to do more – and wants to instill in his own children a sense of empathy for those in need.

“When I was very small, my mother started talking about homelessness, just like I do now with my children on the way to school,” says the prince.

If passion projects reveal anything about what drives someone, perhaps it's their support for them The passage Charity is the key to developing Prince William's character.

The Westminster-based charity provides support and friendship to homeless people in London and helps them find safe accommodation.

Shaped by childhood memories of visits to his mother, the prince's long-standing support for the charity laid the foundation for his current work Home Project to tackle homelessness across the UK.

“My mother took me to the passage. She took Harry and I both there. I must have been about eleven years old at the time, I think. Maybe 10. I've never been anything like this before. And I was a bit excited about what to expect,” he says in the ITV documentary Prince William: We Can End Homelessness.

“As usual, my mother made sure everyone relaxed and laughed and joked with everyone.

“I remember thinking at the time: If everyone doesn’t have a home, they’ll all be very sad.”

“But it was incredible how happy the environment was,” recalls Prince William.

The Passage has revealed four previously unpublished photos of the prince visiting her base in London with his mother, the Princess, in June and December 1993.

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

“That’s when I realized there were other people out there who didn’t live the same life as you.”

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

In the ITV documentary, the prince is filmed serving food and cleaning up at Christmas dinner at The Passage, hugging some of the regulars. He is even seen being bossed around by the charity's head chef, Claudette Dawkins, as she organizes her royal helper.

He talks about his concern for some of the homeless people he encounters, “who are in really bad shape…It's like you just want to protect them.”

The prince says he has spent a lot of time gathering information about homelessness over the years – now he wants to do something practical to prevent it.

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

“I feel like I should use my position and my platform to create change,” he says.

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

“I feel compelled to act because I don't want to just talk about it. I don't want to just listen. “Actually, I want to see someone smile because their life has gotten better,” says the prince.

“Building a project is, in my opinion, the only way at the moment to alleviate the problem and help people who are in a much less fortunate or very difficult situation.”

Mick Clarke, managing director of The Passage, says of Prince William's visits: “I think he feels most at home just chatting to our customers and hearing their stories.”

“People can get very nervous, but he is very good at calming people down.”

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

“The ultimate goal is to prove that we can prevent homelessness in these regions. Then others will come and go. “Well, if they can do it, why can’t we?” says the prince.

It draws on the experience of Finland, where homelessness has been effectively reduced through a policy of providing safe housing for people with comprehensive support for contributing problems such as mental health problems and addiction.

Among those William speaks to throughout the film is Sabrina Cohen-Hatton, who went from being an actress to being on stage from rough sleeper to chief fire officer. She has used her own experiences to advise on the Prince's current project.

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

“I am very impressed that a young man who has young children and could live the life of Riley has decided to commit to the work he wants to do and the work his mother did.”

“Princess Diana was probably the only person to shine a light on the issue of homelessness.

“What she said is that these are people and I will deal with it. And I think her son William said: That’s the legacy.”

Prince William: We Can End Homelessness, ITV1, October 30th and 31st, 9pm.