Prince William seen selling the Big Issue in London
Royal fans praise his work and describe him as “humble"
Prince William has been seen selling The Big Issue in central London, he was spotted on Wednesday afternoon.
He was in a sellers uniform, wearing a red vest and cap helping quietly and handing out the magazine in Westminster.
Duke of Cambridge spotted in London
Matthew Gardner, a retired Met Police Chief Superintendent shared photos of Prince William in Westminster on his LinkedIn account.
Gardner said his brother in law was in London and saw a celebrity, so he took a photo at a distance.
He added that Prince William 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”, he said in his post.
Prince William gives a silent gesture
“These ‘silent gestures’ often go unrecognised”, Gardner writes.
“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’”.
"He was amazing, so friendly"
Richard Hannant is Matthew’s brother in law, who was on his way back to the office when he spotted the royal among a small group of people in the street.
The 47-year-old, who lives in Bath but works in London, said he tried to take a picture from a distance but then noticed William was walking towards him.
He said "He was amazing, he was so friendly."
The low-key appearance was all the more surprising given the four-day Platinum Jubilee celebrations the royal family have just participated in, Mr Hannant said.
He said: "I think what struck me is we've just got past a massive Jubilee event and days later he's out there supporting a charity like Big Issue.
"I think it's that that I thought was most amazing because one is a worldwide event, this is just a low-key (event), literally standing on the side of the road with a homeless person.
"I was quite amazed that he could go from one massive event to such a low-key thing."
Mr Hannant told the duke they share the same birthday, June 21, to which William replied "happy birthday", before the pair got a picture together.
What is the Big Issue?
The Big Issue is a magazine that’s sold by homeless people, long-term unemployed people, and those who need money to avoid getting into debt, according to the Big Issue.
The Big Issue was launched in 1991 in response to the growing number of rough sleepers on the streets of the capital.
It offers people in need the chance to earn an income by selling the magazine to the public.
On hearing about Prince William's work, Big Issue seller Charlie said, "I'm amazed, I've never seen that before in my life, so yeah it's good. - quote from Charlie another Big Issue seller."
Prince William’s charity work
The Duke of Cambridge is an advocate for supporting the homeless and various charity work and projects.
Both William and Kate often speak about their involvement with charities, adding that William was inspired by his mother Princess Diana from when he was just a child.
In 2019, Prince William became a royal patron of The Passage in Victoria, a role that supports his title as patron of Centrepoint homeless charity.
Centrepoint is national charity providing accommodation and support for socially excluded homeless young people.
William has worked to raise awareness of how serious issues such a homelessness can affect young people, according to the Royal Family website.
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