Prince William Is Working on Princess Diana's Vision of a Less "Inaccessible" Monarchy, Royal Expert Claims
She was clear about what she wanted.
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Despite her tragically short life, Princess Diana's legacy has endured beyond measure.
Not only did she have a huge impact on the U.K. and on the world at large, but she also had two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, who both endeavor to keep her legacy alive in their own powerful ways to this day.
"People often ask me about Diana‘s legacy. And I always say her true legacy is her two boys. Both are invested in many of the causes that Diana espoused," royal correspondent Jennie Bond told OK!, commenting in particular on Prince William's new initiative for tackling homelessness, named Homewards.
The expert also mentioned Harry's own ways of honoring his mother through his work, but stressed how committed William is to seeing out her vision.
"Harry has literally walked in his mother’s footsteps in Angola. But William is clearly intent on not only continuing but completing his mother’s work on tackling homelessness," Bond said.
"His new initiative is something he has been thinking about and planning over many years and he says it was his mother who inspired him by taking him to visit homeless hostels when he was just a boy.
"Now he wants not simply to tackle homelessness, but eradicate it. In almost everything he does and says, William is gently pushing the monarchy forward."
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This, for Bond, is the crux of the matter: William wants to make sure the monarchy stays with the times, despite its anchoring in history.
"He knows, and has publicly said, that it it is his job to keep the monarchy relevant in modern society," the expert continued.
"Diana told me she thought the monarchy was too distant and too inaccessible and that she wanted to change it. William is doing his best to achieve that."
Homewards intends to build "locations" or local chapters throughout the U.K., with a view to ending homelessness in the next five years.
William's work against homelessness has been ongoing—he became a royal patron of youth homelessness charity Centrepoint in 2005—but Homewards is taking his work a huge step forward. I for one can't wait to see where it goes from here.
Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of British Vogue, InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Refinery29 and SELF. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.
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