Prince William: We can end homelessness, ITV1 review: The future king’s honorable goal

It’s amazing to see photos of Vincent in his younger years, enjoying time with his daughter on the summer holidays before his life took a turn for the worse. That’s one of the goals of the documentary: to make us see homeless people as people with a backstory who ended up on the street because of bad luck or bad choices.

It also shows that the definition of homelessness includes more than just rough sleepers. In Sheffield, a family of seven were served with a no-fault eviction notice; In Poole, a 21-year-old with a young child lives in a hostel after her relationship broke up and receives no support for her mental health problems.

These cases are handled by patient and enthusiastic local support workers, and their stories are told in the documentary by people like Cohen-Hatton (who was formerly homeless herself, is a fire chief for West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service and a natural broadcaster). And Gail Porteranother Homewards advocate with experience of losing a roof over her head.

So where is Prince William in all this? He is the figurehead, the source of energy, the royalty whose magnetic power can bring people to the table. In some corners of social media he has the unfortunate nickname of Billy Idle due to his supposed work rate. But his interest in the topic seems genuine, and he has a real ability to put people at ease, dole out hugs and jokes, and goof around at the shelter hosting Christmas dinners.

And on the Duchy estate in Cornwall, the prince is building houses for long-term temporary residence. “At some point you have to put your hand in your pocket and do something that makes a difference to people’s lives,” he said (the duchy’s assets are valued at £1 billion).

Of course, this documentary is also part of the palace’s PR operation to build the image of the future monarch. Everyone is on record saying what a great guy he is. The Prince is asked about the criticism he faced for taking on this particular topic, given his wealth, privilege and abundance of homes. He responds with carefully chosen quotes, dodging the question because he doesn’t really have a satisfactory way to answer it. This program is the best answer he can give to these critics.

Prince William: We Can End Homelessness is on ITV1 Wednesday at 9pm.