Prince William reveals personal weakness while marking two decades at Centrepoint

Prince William revealed an area of talent he lacks while marking two decades supporting a charity once championed by Princess Diana.

Prince William revealed one of his weaknesses as he marked 20 years as a patron of a charity once close to his mother’s heart.

The future king cut a cake and unveiled a Wall of Hope at Centrepoint, a homelessness charity he has been a patron of since 2005 when he took over from his mum.

Asked to add his own mark to the wall, William joked that he had tried painting before – but admitted it was not among his talents.

“You don’t want to see what it looks like,” he joked.

Britain's Prince William visited homeless charity Centrepoint, to mark the 20th anniversary as a patron of the organisation. Picture: AFP

That’s very different to his wife, Princess Catherine, who has a love for interior design, working with professionals like Ben Pentreath to decorate her royal residencies.

Princess Diana famously brought both William and Prince Harry to homeless shelters in the 1990s, an experience William has since said shaped his understanding of poverty and compassion at a young age.

Prince of Wales was seen cutting into a large cake by baker Juliet Sear. Picture: AFP

As he cut into a three tiered purple cake, William went on to thank charity staff members and volunteers for there achievements.

“Many of you have been here many more years than that, and it’s an amazing moment to think, in 20 years, how much has changed and been achieved by all of you.

The Prince became involved in the charity after his late mother took him to homeless shelters as a child. Picture: Getty

“The Centrepoint family is one I am very proud to be a part of, and I can’t thank you all for all the hard work, every day, you give to help other people.

“It’s fantastic, and that massive cake signifies the love and the generosity and the time you all give to helping other people, so make sure you take a piece.”

William admitted that art was not one of his strong points when asked to add his personal touch to a mural at Centrepoint. Picture: AFP

The staff members also thanked Prince William for his involvement, reminding him that he was the first to pick up the phone and talk to people on the helpline, one of various moves the royal has made to tackle homelessness.

In one of the most defining moments of his early royal career, he slept rough on the streets of London in 2009 to experience first-hand the fear and isolation faced by vulnerable young people and raise awareness for the charity.

The mural was co-designed by Lanré Olagoke MBE, who has experienced homelessness himself. Picture: AFP

Since then, he has repeatedly volunteered in homeless shelters and soup kitchens, particularly over Christmas, often insisting on keeping cameras away.

Last year the royal appeared in a TV series called Prince William: We Can End Homelessness about tackling rough sleeping on British streets.

The royal worked on the charity’s helpline when it was first set up. Picture AFP

In the program he talked about bringing up the poignant issue with his children Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.

“I am probably already doing it on the school run,” he said.

“The first few times, I thought, ‘Do I bring this up or should I wait to see if they notice?’ “Sure enough, they did.”

Centrepoint helps 15,000 young people every year and this year Centrepoint’s Helpline supported its 50,000th caller since the royal officially opened it.

Originally published as Prince William reveals personal weakness while marking two decades at Centrepoint