Prince William announced a very special new patronage on Wednesday – he has become Royal Patron of The Passage, which is the UK’s largest resource centre for homeless and insecurely housed people. The Duke first visited The Passage as a child in 1993 with his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, so it is surely a cause very close to his heart. He has made additional visits at various points over the last 25 years, even giving a speech in 2016 about its importance to him.
In 2016, William received a framed photograph of his 1993 visit with Princess Diana
"The visits I made as a child to this place left a deep and lasting impression upon me – about how important it is to ensure that everyone in our society, especially the poorest, are treated with respect, dignity and kindness, and are given the opportunities to fulfil their potential in life," he said at the time.
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The news of William's new patronage was revealed in a statement from Kensington Palace. Mick Clarke, chief executive of The Passage said: "During His Royal Highness’ visits to The Passage, it has been very clear that he has a deep concern for those affected by homelessness and a real interest in our work. For His Royal Highness to further express his support for The Passage’s work by becoming our Royal Patron is a tremendous honour, and a testament to how much he genuinely cares about this issue."
A tweet from Kensington Palace also confirmed the announcement, with some sweet photographs of the Prince's past visits to the charity. One particularly adorable snap shows a young William's signature in the visitor's book, captioned: "This entry in @ThePassage visitor’s book marks The Duke of Cambridge's first visit with his mother Diana, Princess of Wales in 1993."
Plenty of royal fans were quick to react to the sweet news, with one writing: "Fantastic...how lovely he is picking up the work his mother started," and another adding: "Continuing his mother's legacy."
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