Prince William releases new family photo, says he wants to help end homelessness

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London: Britain’s Prince William, heir to the throne, has said he wants to help end homelessness across the country and is planning to launch “a really big project” later this month.

In an interview with the Sunday Times, the Prince said his and his wife’s Royal Foundation would be behind the project.

On Sunday the Palace also released a new photo of William with his three children to mark Britain’s Father’s Day.

Prince William, Prince of Wales (centre) with his children Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis and Prince George (right) in Windsor, England.Credit: Getty Images

In the picture, William sits with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis on a bench at Windsor Estate.

William, 40, is a long-term supporter of charities aimed at ending homelessness, a cause which was close to his mother’s heart. As a young boy, Princess Diana took him to a homeless shelter and he is the patron of two charities focused on the issue.

He said the project would provide “living conditions up and down the country that improve people’s lives who need that first rung of the ladder”, according to the newspaper.

The Prince also suggested he would be prepared to build social housing on his land as a trial to see if it worked before scaling it up, according to the newspaper.

Prince William, Prince of Wales, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, King Charles III and Princess Anne, Princess Royal are seen leaving Buckingham Palace on horseback during Trooping the Colour.Credit: Getty Images

“Social housing. You’ll see that when it’s ready. I’m no policy expert, but I push it where I can,” he is quoted by the Sunday Times as saying.

William earlier took part in his father King Charles’s first official birthday parade, in which King Charles III rode on horseback in his first Trooping the Colour ceremony as UK monarch.

Charles, 74, the colonel in chief, inspected hundreds of soldiers and horses in the spectacular annual military display at central London’s Horse Guards Parade and received the royal salute as the most prestigious regiments in the UK army paraded to mark his official birthday.

It was the first time in more than 30 years that a UK monarch has taken part in the pomp-filled ceremony on horseback.

Earlier, Charles’ eldest son, Prince William, and the king’s siblings, Prince Edward and Princess Anne, also rode on horseback in procession from Buckingham Palace. All the royals were dressed in red and gold tunics and tall black bearskin hats, matching the uniforms worn by many of the 1,400 soldiers taking part.

Others in the royal family, including Queen Camilla, Kate, the Princess of Wales, and her three young children, rode in horse-drawn carriages as thousands of people thronged the Mall, the grand avenue outside Buckingham Palace, to watch the pageantry.

Here are some things to know about the colourful spectacle:

Birthday parade

Trooping the Colour is essentially a grand birthday parade to honour the reigning monarch. The annual ceremony is a tradition that dates back more than 260 years.

Huge crowds turn out each June to watch the display, which begins with a procession involving horses, musicians and hundreds of soldiers in ceremonial uniform from Buckingham Palace. The monarch then inspects their troops, including both foot guards and horse guards. Gun salutes and a crowd-pleasing military flyby over the palace typically round out the celebrations.

Charles’ actual birthday is November 14, 1948. But UK monarchs have traditionally celebrate two birthdays — their real one and an official one — to ensure that public celebrations can take place in warm summer weather.

Charles’ late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, always held the Trooping the Colour birthday parade in June, while she celebrated her actual April birthday privately with family.

King Charles III salutes during Trooping the Colour, a traditional parade held to mark the British Sovereign’s official birthday. Credit: Getty Images

The central part of the parade features a battle flag — or the “Colour” — being displayed and marched past troops and the monarch.

This is a ceremonial reenactment of the way regimental flags were once displayed for soldiers on the battlefield to provide a crucial rallying point if they became disoriented or separated from their unit.

The flags were traditionally described as “Colours” because they displayed the uniform colours and insignia worn by soldiers of different units.

A different flag is trooped each year. This year the “Colour” was the King’s Colour of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards.

King on horseback

Saturday was the first time a monarch has ridden on horseback at the event since Elizabeth did so in 1986.

The queen rode her favourite horse, called Burmese, to 18 Trooping the Colour ceremonies until the black mare retired in 1986. After that she decided to use a carriage for the event instead.

Charles also rode on horseback for the spectacle last year, when as heir to the throne he inspected the troops on behalf of his mother. Elizabeth died last September at the age of 96.

Bonus military flyby

The birthday parade typically reaches its climax when, at the end of the military procession, the royal family lines up on Buckingham Palace’s balcony to watch a spectacular flyby.

The Royal Air Force’s aerobatic team, the Red Arrows, usually wows the crowds as they fly in formation leaving plumes of red, white and blue vapor trails.

This year, the flyby was even more impressive, because a similar display on Charles’ coronation day in May had to be scaled back because of bad weather. Around 70 aircraft took part Saturday, including Spitfire and Hurricane fighters from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

Eighteen Typhoon fighter jets flying in precise formation spelt out “CR” — “Charles Rex” — in the sky as the royal family and thousands of spectators cheered.

Reuters, AP

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