The Prince of Wales delivered a powerful speech on the causes of homelessness this afternoon

Prince William has met with an Aston Villa star following his speech on homelessness at the Tate Modern this afternoon.

Addressing an audience celebrating three years of his Homewards programme, the Prince of Wales insisted: "Homelessness is not an individual failure; it is a systemic failure."

His five-year initiative, launched in 2023, aims to make homelessness "rare, brief and unrepeated" in the United Kingdom.

Across six locations—Newport, Lambeth, Belfast, Aberdeen, Sheffield and the Dorset towns of Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch—the initiative has moved 73 individuals and families into permanent accommodation.

Aston Villa star Tyrone Mings has followed the movement since the beginning.

The defender, who himself lived in a homeless shelter as a child, helped launch Homewards three years ago.

When asked if they could already see the impact of the initiative, Mings replied: "Absolutely."

Mings has previously spoken on his personal journey, describing his housing as a "scary environment".

"What we didn't have in the way of stability or a permanent home at that time, we definitely made up with love and support as a family," he told the BBC back in 2023.

"When you're a child, you don't really know that much different.

"I think you are just able to adapt and find positives in quite difficult situations."

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So far, the Homewards Fund has channelled £1.9million directly into its target communities, with an additional £3.5million secured through grants and private donations.

Surplus goods worth £2.3million have furnished homes for participants, with Aberdeen alone now housing 31 people through the programme.

More than 250 people have also gained employment through the scheme's support services, while thousands more have received assistance to prevent them reaching crisis point.

"These aren't just statistics, they are people who have a home, a job and a future that are very different to only a few years ago," William told the audience on Tuesday.

He added: "It is clear that Homewards is changing lives and now imagine the scale we could achieve if our approach was adopted in every corner of the country."

The Prince of Wales explained the next two years of the initiative, the final of the initial five-year plan, are about "proving that what works in six locations can work across the country, because if homelessness can be prevented here, it can be prevented anywhere".

"And together one day we can make homelessness rare, brief and unrepeated," he concluded.

"That is the challenge we set ourselves three years ago. Today, we can see the path to achieve it."