By Ashley Parker on
Prince William spent a night on the streets of London to better understand what it’s like to be homeless. Temperatures dropped to 25 degrees Fahrenheit while William slept on cardboard boxes in an alley close to the River Thames.
As hard as he may have tried, William stated, “I cannot, after one night, even begin to imagine what it must be like to sleep rough on London’s streets night after night.”
The chief executive of Centrepoint, Seyi Obakin, accompanied him.
Obakin said, “There was no shielding from the bitter cold or the hard concrete floor or the fear of being accosted by drug dealers, pimps or those out to give homeless people a good kicking. One of the hairiest moments occurred when we were almost run over by a road sweeper which simply didn’t see our small group huddled together, which just goes to show how vulnerable rough sleepers are.”
Centrepoint celebrated their 40th anniversary this year, where Prince William delivered a speech, challenging the organization to redouble its efforts to end youth homelessness. In turn, Obakin challenged him to spend a night on the streets, not expecting William to actually do it.
More than 4,500 people live on the streets of London. His mother, Princess Diana, also supported the charity.
Copyright © 2009 Look to the Stars
