Prince William Continues Charity Work on a Cause Close to the Late Princess Diana's Heart

Princess Diana was a fervent advocate for many important causes throughout her lifetime, one of which was the battle against youth homelessness. As such, she became patron of Centrepoint in 1992.

In an effort to carry on his late mother's legacy, her eldest son Prince William became a patron of Centrepoint himself in 2005, and has visited—and worked with—the organization on many occasions ever since.

On Tuesday of this week, William visited Centrepoint's new housing project, Reuben House in London's Peckham neighborhood. The visit comes as the Prince of Wales prepares to announce a new initiative designed to combat homelessness.

Reuben House consists of 33 apartments designed to provide young people aged 18 to 24 with affordable, rent-capped housing.

"This is not just about the opening of this building but beginning to tell the story of how a scheme like this should be part of the tapestry for ending homelessness for young people," Centrepoint CEO Seyi Obakin told People following the royal's visit.

William "was on good form and loved the flats," Obakin added. "I couldn't get him away from the young people. I knew we were running out of time, and every time I said to him, 'I think it’s time to go,' he starts a different conversation!"

The CEO continued, "He wants to hear people's stories, and he wants to find out how he can help and how much more he can do—and he doesn’t like an event like this rushed at all."

For Obakin, Prince William is incredibly skilled at connecting with new people during engagements like this one.

"The great thing about Prince William is he's really good at putting people at ease," he said. "I didn’t see any young person today who was shellshocked. They might have been nervous, but once he started talking to them in the way that he does, they just came out of their shell."

Obakin concluded, "It’s an incredible gift that he has to connect with people in that way. Not everyone can do that."

Taking to Instagram to share his experience of visiting the housing, William wrote, "A great morning at Reuben House in Peckham, learning about @centrepointuk’s Independent Living Programme supporting young people at risk of homelessness."

Previously, William has carried on Diana's work with Centrepoint by selling a magazine that raises awareness for homelessness and by participating in a charity gala where he ended up singing on stage with Jon Bon Jovi and Taylor Swift, among many other wonderful projects.