From beard to benevolence: Prince William's impactful return to royal duties
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The Prince of Wales, Prince William, has once again captured the nation's hearts with his commitment to charitable causes and his ruggedly handsome appearance, featuring his now fan-favourite beard.
As he returned to royal duties after a summer break, the prince visited the poignant Homelessness: Reframed exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea, London, where he also had a touching reunion with his Big Issue seller friend, Dave Martin.
Prince William's relationship with Dave Martin is a remarkable story of friendship and support.
Dave, who moved to London in 2011 and became homeless, has since exchanged Christmas cards with the future king and interviewed him for The Big Issue magazine.
‘Dave, lovely to see you again. How have you been?’ William greeted warmly.
The prince shows genuine interest in Dave's artwork featured in the exhibition.
‘I recognise this? Is this you?’ he said.
Mr Martin expressed pride in William, noting, ‘He immediately recognised my work.’
Later, William told him, ‘If I don't see you soon, take care.’
His interactions with the artists, many of whom have experienced homelessness, highlighted his passion for changing public perceptions of the issue.
This dedication is a central objective of the Homewards program, launched by The Prince and The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales in June 2023.
William shared his enthusiasm for changing public views on homelessness during a visit to the ‘Homelessness: Reframed’ exhibit.
Due to his deep engagement with the project, his initial half-hour visit was extended by nearly an hour.
When informed that the exhibition had attracted over 25,000 visitors in just 23 days—far surpassing the anticipated 5,000—William expressed his delight, saying, ‘I am really, really pleased.’
He also met British photographer Rankin, known for his famous portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth II. Rankin, who contributed to the exhibition, told William, ‘I've loved being part of it.’
The program aimed to eradicate homelessness in six key areas of the UK.
Prince William's rugged appearance, complete with his beard, has delighted royal fans.
His facial hair, which appeared in a good luck video for Team GB last month, symbolises his down-to-earth nature and even sparked social media conversations.
Fans have admired the prince's look, encouraging him to keep the beard.
William attended his first official event since the Euros final in Germany with Prince George, where he served as President of the Football Association, by touring the Saatchi Gallery.
The exhibit featured works by individuals with direct experience of homelessness, and William proposed taking the exhibition on a national tour.
He was particularly impressed by a life-sized house sculpture created by former soldier and rough sleeper David Tovey, crafted from an old Peugeot 206 Tovey once lived in.
"And you lived in this?’ William asked, visibly astonished.
When invited inside the sculpture, William seemed deeply affected and asked Tovey, ‘Do you think we’ve captured the right tone?’ referring to the exhibit's message.
Tovey responded, ‘I want people to feel and experience this to change perceptions.’
Afterwards, Tovey expressed how significant this opportunity was for him: ‘For me this is everything. As an artist I make social justice work and no-one wants to feature it. They don't want to come into somewhere and feel upset. But I want to feel emotion and tell people the truth.’
Tovey also mentioned, "William was genuinely interested, and we discussed military experiences and their emotional toll. He asked, 'How are you managing?' I responded that I'm still working on it."
‘To have a platform like this is everything.’
‘When I was first asked by him, I was like "Are you mad? Do you really want me to do this?" So, for me, it is everything. Hopefully, galleries will realise the impact and open their eyes.’
Tovey added, "He suggested taking the exhibit on tour, which could be amazing if it happens in the six locations Homewards is working in."
Uche Eneke, 42, lived in inadequate temporary housing with her two young sons, now aged nine and 16, for 13 years, which negatively impacted their health.
Three of her impactful photographs are featured in the exhibit.
Eneke admired how William engaged with the individuals involved in the exhibition. "I told my group, 'I said to my group, wow, he really listened. He looked like he heard me and asked genuine questions,' she said.
‘He wanted to hear my experiences and, crucially, learn what the solutions were. He wanted to know where I found support.’
‘I told him my family were in Africa, although I've lived here 23 years, and he said: "That must be really tough on you." He seemed really genuinely interested.’
Eneke continued, ‘His backing means everything. Once you get backing from someone like himself, people really sit up. You get noticed. If I was standing alone by my picture, no one would notice.’
‘The fact that he is here makes it different. He is amazing.'
'Coming from his position, he could not want to make a difference, but he does. He has all sorts of brickbats thrown at him, and he takes on the chin and gets on with this. He wants to make a difference. He sees the bigger picture.’
Artist Robi Walters, who faced significant childhood trauma in care, also spoke with the Prince and commended his vision.
Walters noted, ‘He talked to me about his idea, his vision. How he wanted to educate people about this whole, complex issue.’
‘He's got such a huge public profile and platform, and he could choose to focus on anything, but he chooses this. The fact that he has chosen to do this and put his money where his mouth is, well, that's really remarkable.’
‘He is brilliantly empathetic and a very special person. He really is amazing. People definitely take you more seriously as an artist being involved in something like this.’
A key goal of the Homewards program, launched by The Prince and The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales in June 2023, is to shift the narrative and challenge negative stereotypes about homelessness.
The exhibition, titled Homelessness: Reframed, is divided into three sections: ‘Invisible Words,’ ‘Reframed,’ and ‘Open Doors.’
It showcased works by artists such as Marc Quinn, Dave Tovey, Simone Brewster, Opake, and the poet Surfing Sofas.
The exhibition opened on 7 August and will run until 20 September.
Have you visited the 'Homelessness: Reframed' exhibition or engaged with similar initiatives in your community? Let us know in the comments below.
As he returned to royal duties after a summer break, the prince visited the poignant Homelessness: Reframed exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea, London, where he also had a touching reunion with his Big Issue seller friend, Dave Martin.
Prince William's relationship with Dave Martin is a remarkable story of friendship and support.
Dave, who moved to London in 2011 and became homeless, has since exchanged Christmas cards with the future king and interviewed him for The Big Issue magazine.
‘Dave, lovely to see you again. How have you been?’ William greeted warmly.
Prince William wowed fans with his beard as he resumed royal duties. Credit: @thewaleschronicle / Instagram
The prince shows genuine interest in Dave's artwork featured in the exhibition.
‘I recognise this? Is this you?’ he said.
Mr Martin expressed pride in William, noting, ‘He immediately recognised my work.’
Later, William told him, ‘If I don't see you soon, take care.’
His interactions with the artists, many of whom have experienced homelessness, highlighted his passion for changing public perceptions of the issue.
This dedication is a central objective of the Homewards program, launched by The Prince and The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales in June 2023.
William shared his enthusiasm for changing public views on homelessness during a visit to the ‘Homelessness: Reframed’ exhibit.
Due to his deep engagement with the project, his initial half-hour visit was extended by nearly an hour.
When informed that the exhibition had attracted over 25,000 visitors in just 23 days—far surpassing the anticipated 5,000—William expressed his delight, saying, ‘I am really, really pleased.’
He also met British photographer Rankin, known for his famous portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth II. Rankin, who contributed to the exhibition, told William, ‘I've loved being part of it.’
The program aimed to eradicate homelessness in six key areas of the UK.
Prince William's rugged appearance, complete with his beard, has delighted royal fans.
His facial hair, which appeared in a good luck video for Team GB last month, symbolises his down-to-earth nature and even sparked social media conversations.
Fans have admired the prince's look, encouraging him to keep the beard.
William attended his first official event since the Euros final in Germany with Prince George, where he served as President of the Football Association, by touring the Saatchi Gallery.
The exhibit featured works by individuals with direct experience of homelessness, and William proposed taking the exhibition on a national tour.
The Prince of Wales visited the Homelessness: Reframed exhibition at Saatchi Gallery. Credit: Facebook
He was particularly impressed by a life-sized house sculpture created by former soldier and rough sleeper David Tovey, crafted from an old Peugeot 206 Tovey once lived in.
"And you lived in this?’ William asked, visibly astonished.
When invited inside the sculpture, William seemed deeply affected and asked Tovey, ‘Do you think we’ve captured the right tone?’ referring to the exhibit's message.
Tovey responded, ‘I want people to feel and experience this to change perceptions.’
Afterwards, Tovey expressed how significant this opportunity was for him: ‘For me this is everything. As an artist I make social justice work and no-one wants to feature it. They don't want to come into somewhere and feel upset. But I want to feel emotion and tell people the truth.’
Tovey also mentioned, "William was genuinely interested, and we discussed military experiences and their emotional toll. He asked, 'How are you managing?' I responded that I'm still working on it."
‘To have a platform like this is everything.’
‘When I was first asked by him, I was like "Are you mad? Do you really want me to do this?" So, for me, it is everything. Hopefully, galleries will realise the impact and open their eyes.’
Tovey added, "He suggested taking the exhibit on tour, which could be amazing if it happens in the six locations Homewards is working in."
Uche Eneke, 42, lived in inadequate temporary housing with her two young sons, now aged nine and 16, for 13 years, which negatively impacted their health.
Three of her impactful photographs are featured in the exhibit.
Eneke admired how William engaged with the individuals involved in the exhibition. "I told my group, 'I said to my group, wow, he really listened. He looked like he heard me and asked genuine questions,' she said.
‘He wanted to hear my experiences and, crucially, learn what the solutions were. He wanted to know where I found support.’
‘I told him my family were in Africa, although I've lived here 23 years, and he said: "That must be really tough on you." He seemed really genuinely interested.’
Eneke continued, ‘His backing means everything. Once you get backing from someone like himself, people really sit up. You get noticed. If I was standing alone by my picture, no one would notice.’
‘The fact that he is here makes it different. He is amazing.'
'Coming from his position, he could not want to make a difference, but he does. He has all sorts of brickbats thrown at him, and he takes on the chin and gets on with this. He wants to make a difference. He sees the bigger picture.’
William engaged with artists and those affected by homelessness. Credit: Facebook
Artist Robi Walters, who faced significant childhood trauma in care, also spoke with the Prince and commended his vision.
Walters noted, ‘He talked to me about his idea, his vision. How he wanted to educate people about this whole, complex issue.’
‘He's got such a huge public profile and platform, and he could choose to focus on anything, but he chooses this. The fact that he has chosen to do this and put his money where his mouth is, well, that's really remarkable.’
‘He is brilliantly empathetic and a very special person. He really is amazing. People definitely take you more seriously as an artist being involved in something like this.’
A key goal of the Homewards program, launched by The Prince and The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales in June 2023, is to shift the narrative and challenge negative stereotypes about homelessness.
The exhibition, titled Homelessness: Reframed, is divided into three sections: ‘Invisible Words,’ ‘Reframed,’ and ‘Open Doors.’
It showcased works by artists such as Marc Quinn, Dave Tovey, Simone Brewster, Opake, and the poet Surfing Sofas.
The exhibition opened on 7 August and will run until 20 September.
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