The second-in-line to the throne - who is patron of Centrepoint, a charity which helps people living on the streets - has spoken out about why helping them means so much to him.
The 28-year-old prince, who announced his engagement to long-term girlfriend Kate Middleton last month, said: "These are people of extraordinary courage. There can be a perception that they have given up and lack courage. Let me tell you, they have not and they do not.
"I count myself enormously privileged to be associated with such individuals. I salute all the organizations that are there for them."
William also spoke of how the "devastating emotional consequences" after the recession in Britain increased the number of people living on the streets by a quarter in London alone in the last two years.
Writing in The Big Issue he said: "There are many reasons why someone can find themselves homeless: family breakdown, unemployment, drug or alcohol abuse, or falling on desperately hard times, often through no fault of their own. But the effect of homelessness is the same for everyone: a crushing sense of hopelessness and despair.
"The emotional consequences for the individual can be utterly devastating -sometimes more so than the stark fact of being homeless."
Last year the prince spent a night sleeping on the streets to experience homelessness for himself.
