Prince William tells woman who lost father and partner: I wouldn’t have coped as well as you
The Prince of Wales has told a young woman who lost her father and partner that she had been through more than most people “in their entire lifetime” and admitted he would not have coped as well as she had.
The Prince, 42, was in Newport, south Wales, to hear about the city’s efforts to tackle homelessness, particularly among vulnerable women.
He met several women and staff at the Nelson Trust, a support service that works across Wales, Bristol and surrounding areas.
Among them was Rebecca, 32, a care assistant who told the Prince she had been in foster care and was living on the streets at 16 before attempting suicide following the deaths of both her partner and her father.
She said that she had no support when she was growing up, but was proud of who she had become.
She is now living in a council house on a “broken housing estate” but entirely focused on raising her two daughters and “making happiness without money”.
Rebecca told the Prince that she wanted to use her own experiences to help other “lost teenagers”.
The heir to the throne was impressed with her attitude, telling her she should be “so proud” of herself.
“You seem like a force of nature Rebecca,” he said.
“We need more Rebeccas in the world. You have been through more things than most people go through in their entire lifetime.
“I’m not sure I would have come out the other side like you.”
Newport is one of six pilot locations that the Prince is aiming to put on a path towards ending homelessness by mid-2028 through his Homewards initiative.
Women’s homelessness has been identified as a key priority in the city because of rising numbers, specifically among those who face multiple issues such as trauma, poverty and domestic abuse.
The Prince told a group of business leaders and charity representatives that he wanted them to throw off the “shackles” of their experience and take a different approach.
“I say that not to belittle you,” he said. “But it, how do we break it down, gives you the freedom to think differently and try new things?
“I can be the slight disruptor here and say to you all to think very differently, outside the box, because this is unique, what you’re doing… let’s be really ambitious and almost throw the paperwork up in the air and see how it lands.”
The Prince earlier made a private visit to a women’s support service to speak to victims of domestic abuse and sexual exploitation, before joining local women who have experienced homelessness.
He was joined by Sabrina Cohen-Hatton, the chief fire officer at West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service and a Homewards advocate, who experienced homelessness as a teenager in Newport.
Ms Cohen-Hatton said afterwards that they had had several “powerful” conversations.
“I think hearing about people’s experiences helps inform how the Prince can direct Homewards to help,” she said. “One of the questions he was asking throughout was how Homewards is making a difference and how it can help with the pinch points and the gaps.”
Women are often more susceptible to experiencing “hidden homelessness” than men because they are less likely to sleep rough because of safety fears – instead, they sofa surf or sleep on public transport, she said.
The Prince’s visit coincided with the release of a report compiled by the Homewards Newport Coalition that identified specific local issues and made specific recommendations to help prevent women’s homelessness.
As a direct result of the joint strategic needs assessment, the city council and local housing organisations have agreed to work together to introduce properties specifically for women to increase supply for those in need.
NHS Wales said it would hire an early intervention worker to ensure women can access the right support at the first point of contact, and those working in the sector are to be given additional trauma training.
