Prince William has found himself at the center of a royal controversy with his latest endeavor.
The Prince of Wales emphasized the importance of “changing and tackling the narrative around homelessness” in anticipation of his upcoming ITV documentary.
The program will document William, 42, throughout the first year of his Homewards initiative, which seeks to address various aspects of homelessness.
Asked about his drive to stem the issue, William said: “I think it’s really important that we can try and change, and tackle, the narrative around homelessness.
“People live with it, we see it every day in our lives, that’s something I want to challenge.”
However, the anti-monarchy group Republic took to social media to complain about the royal documentary.
The organization wrote: “The monarchy costs us half a billion a year. They lounge around in lavish palaces.
“But don’t worry, William is going to lecture us about how he’s going to ‘end homelessness’. #NotMyKing #AbolishTheMonarchy”.
Many social media users agreed, with one replying: “This family has a vast number of properties.
“The most meaningful change they could make is to start a movement to end people having multiple homes which stand unused – and lead by example.”
Another wrote: “Watch what he does. Not what he says.”
However, several of William’s fans came to the royal’s defense.
For example, one said: “Lies! The monarchy doesn’t cost us half a billion a year at all!”
“We actually make a profit from the Royal Family – as we get more in revenue from the Crown Estate than is required to fund it! If you don’t like our system – you don’t have to stay in it – feel free to leave!”
Meanwhile, someone else commented, “You need to do some research. Publicly available. The Royal Family costs each taxpayer just under a pound per year.
“The Royal Family brings in about £1.4billion annually for the economy. If you have an idea on how to get that return for 99p please enlighten us all.”
In Prince William’s upcoming documentary, a senior fire officer accompanies a former long-term homeless man to meet the Prince and share his story. A 22-second teaser, recently shared on social media, announced the program, titled “Prince William: We Can End Homelessness,” which will soon air on ITV and ITVX.
Diana, Princess of Wales, frequently took William and his brother, Prince Harry, to visit homeless shelters during their childhood to expand their perspectives.
Last year, William, a father of three, launched his Homewards initiative to create tailored solutions for addressing homelessness.