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Prince William secretly took to the streets of London to help the needy.
On Wednesday, the Duke of Cambridge went incognito and sold the latest copy of Big Issue near Westminster. The U.K.-based magazine supports the homeless and longterm unemployed people by giving them a chance to earn an income through its sale to the public.
The 39-year-old was spotted asking locals if they wanted a copy of the publication. He wore a red seller’s vest, jeans and a nametag.
It was the relative of a former Metropolitan Policeman who posted about the British royal attempting to go under the radar.
Prince William is second in line to the British throne.
(Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
According to retired Chief Supt. Matthew Gardner, his brother-in-law noticed that the mystery seller had a familiar face, which prompted him to take a closer look.
“My brother in law was in London today and saw a celebrity, so he took a photo at a distance,” Gardner wrote in a LinkedIn post that was tweeted by royal author Omid Scobie. “The celebrity saw the ‘covert surveillance’ effort and crossed the road to investigate further. What an honour to have a private moment with our future King who was humble and working quietly in the background, helping the most needy.”
“These ‘silent gestures’ often go unrecognised,” Garner continued. “The finale to this unique occasion was when Prince William asked my brother in law if he wanted to buy the ‘Big Issue,’ to which he replied ‘I have no change.’ At this point William produced a mobile card machine… you cannot teach that! Priceless, or should I say ‘Princely.'”
A spokesperson for Kensington Palace didn’t immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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William has been a longtime supporter of the homeless community, a cause championed by his late mother, Princess Diana. The Princess of Wales would take William and his younger brother Prince Harry to shelters as part of her charity work. And as a teenager, he spent a night on the streets in London to better understand what it was like for those struggling. In 2005, he became a patron of Centrepoint, a charity his mother supported that provides accommodations to homeless youth. He also supports The Passage, which offers services to those without homes.
During an appearance on the BBC special “A Berry Royal Christmas” in 2019, the 39-year-old revealed that his three children — Prince George, 8, Princess Charlotte, 7, and Prince Louis, 4 — are already being taught the importance of highlighting his cause.
“On the school run already… whenever we see someone who is sleeping rough on the street, I talk about it and I point it out and I explain,” William told baking expert and host Mary Berry.
“And they are all very interested,” he shared. “They are like, ‘Why can’t they go home?'”
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Prince William sleeps out in London’s streets to raise awareness of Centrepoint’s work with homeless young people on Dec. 15, 2009, in London, England.
(Photo by Anwar Hussein/WireImage)
William’s volunteer work came just days after his family celebrated Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee. The festivities, which lasted for four days, marked the 96-year-old’s 70 years on the throne.
