The Prince of Wales is using the school run to tell his children about homelessness, just as his mother did when he was a boy, as he attempts to find ways to tackle the issue.

William said he talks to Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis when they spot rough sleepers – much in the same way that his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, did when he and his brother Harry were children.

He tells the ITV1 and ITVX documentary – Prince William: We Can End Homelessness: “When you are that small you are just curious and trying to work out what’s going on. You ask the question ‘why are they sitting there?’

“My mother would talk to us a bit about why they were there and it definitely made a really big impact.”

William was asked on the documentary when he felt the right time would be to introduce George, 11; Charlotte, nine; and Louis, six, to homelessness.

William and Diana, Princess of Wales during a visit to the kitchen of The Passage just before Christmas 1993
William and Diana, Princess of Wales during a visit to the kitchen of The Passage just before Christmas 1993 (The Passage/PA)

He replied: “I am probably already doing it on the school run. The first few times I thought ‘do I bring this up or should I wait to see if they notice?’ Sure enough, they did.

“They were sort of in silence when I said what was going on.”

He also said: “I do think it is really important that you start these conversations when the children are small so they understand the world around them, rather than just living in their own worlds.”

The prince was followed for the programme during the first year of his Homewards initiative.

The campaign is a major long-term focus for William, who has told how visiting shelters with his late mother when he was a child left a deep and lasting impression and inspired his work.

Homewards aims to develop a blueprint for eradicating homelessness in all its forms, “making it rare, brief and unrepeated”.

He also reacts to criticism that his rich privileged and protocol-filled lifestyle makes him the wrong person to head up a homelessness campaign.

The words of one critic, which is read out in the documentary states: “The last thing we need is for Prince William to get involved in this.

“He is a man who has three huge homes and a vast estate. Homelessness is about government policy and investment. It is not going to be solved by charity or royal patronage.”

William
William during a visit to the East Belfast Mission at the Skainos Centre, Belfast, as part of his tour of the UK last year to launch Homewards (Liam McBurney/PA)

William later responds: “I think if I answered every critic I would be here all day – but criticism drives you forward.”

He added: “I think it is right to question but I think ultimately, at the end of the day, (it is) that pushing forward to deliver change, hope and optimism into, frankly, a world that has had very little of it for a long time and I hope I can bring something that has not been done before.”

During the past year, the Homewards teams in six UK locations have been building collaborations between the public, private and third sectors.

Prince of Wales
The Prince of Wales will speak about his Homewards project during a documentary for ITV (Maja Smiejkowska/PA)

Former footballer Fara Williams, who was homeless when she played for England and Chelsea, and former presenter Gail Porter also speak about their experiences.

Williams, who was sofa surfing, staying at friends’ houses and in hostels, said: “I was embarrassed. I think that is why I kept it to myself.”

The prince describes her as someone who shows there is “hope” for change, adding: “It is crucial that we get to those at-risk people like your younger self before they get into the homelessness chain because that is where the damage gets done.”

He adds: “My mother introduced me to homelessness a long time ago and it is something that has a deep resonation with me – not just because of the moments I had but because of the connections I felt.

“I know that sounds weird, but when you feel the human connection with somebody who has been in deep trouble – I would challenge anyone not to feel a desire to help.

“There has to be a better way than just accepting that homelessness is there and we just live with it. I don’t believe that. I won’t accept that.

“What I want to see, and I think what she would want to see is, action, movement and change.”

Six Homewards locations were chosen – Newport, Lambeth, Belfast, Aberdeen, Sheffield and three neighbouring Dorset towns, Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch – with the aim of delivering bespoke solutions to issues in each area.

The documentary will be broadcast on October 30 and 31 at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX, STV and STV Player.