Prince William shows off boxing skills during charity outing before making trip to watch beloved Villa take on Monaco
PRINCE William pulled on a pair of boxing gloves yesterday and stepped into the ring as he continued his fight against homelessness.
The Prince of Wales, 42, was put through drills by instructors at charity Centrepoint which helps young people forced on to the streets.
Dad-of-three Wills channelled his inner Muhammad Ali during a session organised by the BoxWise Foundation, which gives disadvantaged kids sporting opportunities.
After throwing jabs and a hook, the future King told trainer Charlie Beatt: “I might get back into boxing.
“It’s been a while, a long time actually, but it’s seriously hard work.”
Wills, Centrepoint’s patron since 2005, also played table football with others helped by the charity based in Ealing, West London.
The Aston Villa fan heard from Bethany, 24, who became homeless aged 17 with a young child before studying at the London School of Economics.
She told him: “Centrepoint helped me so much with my life skills . . . that I was able to go to university. It was transformative.
“Without them I do not know where I would be now.”
He also chatted with Nora, 21, who set up a hair and beauty clinic after becoming homeless in her teens.
He told her: “We have to do more to help people as early as possible.
It can be a steep curve upwards if you get the right support, but a huge drop off if you don’t.”
Centrepoint boss Seyi Obakin hailed Wills as a “true ambassador”.
He said: “The more he takes on, the more he knows he could be open to criticism. People can say, ‘Oh you live in a palace, what do you know about this situation’, but he listens. He can be the change.”
Centrepoint is a partner in Wills’ five-year homelessness project Homewards.
Run by his Royal Foundation team, it links rough-sleepers to firms, charities and town halls in Dorset, London, Sheffield, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Kensington Palace said: “Homewards is now in its second year and the Prince is focused on the action that can take place across the six locations. He’ll no doubt take inspiration from the innovative approach he saw at Centrepoint.”
After his Centrepoint visit Prince then jetted to Monaco to watch the Champions League Aston Villa match today.
He was photographed looking tense in the stadium as Unai Emery brought his Premier stars to the millionaires’ playground in the South of France.
A win here in the Principality would have seen Villa enter the home straight in pole position.
But they lost 1 – 0 to Monaco and now face a huge test of their bottle at home to Celtic next Wednesday.
Prince William, a famous Aston Villa fan, even met with a group of fellow supporters in Birmingham last week.
William had made the arrangement to meet up with Villa regulars while he was in the city to speak at the College of Paramedics conference.
He bought a round of beers for eight Villa fans in a Wetherspoons pub at Birmingham New Street station after the official Royal engagement.
William, who sipped a pint of Bulmers cider, stayed for around half an hour before catching a train back to London.
Steve Jones, 56, Villa fan for last 35 years, said: “We were contacted by the club saying Prince William wanted to meet a delegation of Villa fans as he was in Birmingham as he wanted to keep in the loop with everything going on at Villa.
“He was fantastic. I was quite amazed about how engaged he was with the club his interest.
“He’s not a fair weather fan. He really loves the club with a passion.”
Steve said that the Prince was “massively interested” in the team and a “really genuine guy”.
His jubilant appearance came one day after the Princess of Wales announced that her cancer was in remission.
She made a solo trip to Royal Marsden Hospital in which she thanked staff there for her “exceptional” care.
Meanwhile, Queen Camilla, 77, yesterday visited the hospital where she gave birth to daughter Laura Lopes in 1978.
She opened a new emergency department at Swindon’s Great Western where she met blind toddler Jackson James and his mum.