Never-before-seen photos have been released of Prince William and his mother Diana visiting a homeless charity

Prince William has shared how a powerful childhood experience with his brother and late mother helped shape his work in the fight against homelessness.

In the Prince of Wales’s upcoming documentary, “Prince William: We Can End Homelessness,” the 42-year-old heir to the British throne recalls visiting The Passage, a British charity for homeless people. William first visited the charity when he was 11.

“My mother took me to The Passage; she took Harry and me both there,” William says in a newly released clip from the two-part documentary.

“I had never been to anything like this before and was a bit curious about what to expect.”

He describes how Diana eased any nerves by “laughing and joking with everyone.”

“I remember thinking at the time, ‘Well, if everyone doesn’t have a house, they’ll all be very sad.’ But it was incredible how happy the environment was,” William continued.

“I remember having some good conversations, just playing chess and chatting. Then it dawned on me that there are other people who don’t live the same lives as you.”

Filmed over a year, the documentary follows the early stages of the film William’s Homewards initiative. Launched by the Prince and his Royal Foundation in June 2023, Homewards is a five-year program across six flagship sites across the UK that he hopes will demonstrate that it is possible to end homelessness.

Directed by BAFTA winner Leo Burley, the series features stories from people currently experiencing or who have experienced homelessness.

The prince has long campaigned against homelessness. Speaking at an awards ceremony for the Centrepoint homelessness charity earlier this month, the prince said homelessness is “a complex social problem” but that he “passionately” believes it can be eradicated.

“Achieving this requires a movement that creates systemic change. A change that focuses on prevention instead of management. And one that ensures all young people have truly affordable options to live and thrive independently,” he said on October 16.

In the upcoming documentary, he also addresses criticism over whether he is the right man to tackle the issue, given his privileged upbringing.

“I have no agenda other than desperately trying to help those in need, and I see that as part of my role. Why else would I be here if I don’t use this role well to influence people and help where I can,” he said in another clip from the documentary released last week.

The Royal Foundation of the Prince and Princess of Wales says Homewards will “deliver and demonstrate innovative solutions that prevent and end homelessness, creating proven models that can be scaled.”

The first episode of the documentary will air on ITV on Wednesday, October 30 at 9pm local time. The second episode will air the next day at the same time.

Subscribe to CNN’s Royal Newsa weekly post that gives you insight into the royal family, what they do in public and what happens behind the palace walls

For more CNN news and newsletters, create an account at CNN.com