Prince William celebrates a cause that Princess Diana inspired him and Prince Harry to support decades ago

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Nine months before his 40th birthday on June 21, Prince William marks a new decade for an organization close to his heart – and one he shared with his late mother, Princess Diana.

On Thursday, William visited London-based organization The Passage, founded in 1980 to provide practical support and a wide range of services aimed at transforming the lives of homeless people.

He attended an awards ceremony and reception at the charity’s headquarters, meeting volunteers and staff to hear about their experiences serving the community, and he heard from some of those who been helped by The Passage.

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Ending homelessness is a key area of ​​interest for the Duke of Cambridge, who is boss of The Passage and Centrepoint. William and his brother, Prince Harry, learned to nurture this passion early on when Diana took them to The Passage as young boys.

RELATED: ‘You’ve grown up’: Homeless Center volunteer greets Prince William 23 years after first visit with Diana

The Passage runs a resource center in Victoria, residential and resettlement projects, outreach and health services, homelessness prevention programs and a pioneering modern slavery referral program. Since their creation, they have helped almost 135,000 people to end their homelessness for good.

Last year at Christmas, William quietly visited the association several times to help sort supplies into paper bags and chat with volunteers. “Because we thought you might need some good news!” the organization tweeted. “If we have learned anything from previous lockdowns, it is the willingness and determination of so many people to do what they can to help. We would like to thank the staff and volunteers for their work during this time.

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Thursday’s event was scheduled to take place last year but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. But, according to William’s office, COVID-19 has ‘only increased demand for the charity’s services, with The Passage playing a key role in the design and delivery of the initiative’ Everyone In’, helping hundreds of people get off the streets” in the city center. London.