Prince William has praised his parents for teaching him how important charities are in society.
Prince William
The Duke of Cambridge spoke out about the significance of aid organisations at the Charity Commission's annual public meeting at the Royal Institution in London on Tuesday (23.01.18), in which he said his father Prince Charles and late mother Princess Diana taught him about "privilege and responsibilities".
Speaking to charity bosses, he said: "Some of my earliest memories relate to times that my parents spoke to me or - even better - showed me what it meant to have both privilege and responsibilities. I remember being taken by my mother to a homelessness shelter at a young age, her explaining to me why the people I met there matter; why no society can be healthy unless we take other people seriously.
"From my father, I learned how central charity was to his life his sense of purpose. The Prince's Trust is not an arms-length organisation for my father. He cares deeply about The Prince's Trust because it is a living projection of his values.
As a young child, I recall evening after evening my father's diligence and compassion as he applied himself to answering thousands of letters and reading endless reports in order to stay on top of his ambition to do all he could to help the underprivileged."
William also pointed towards the charity work his grandparents, Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth, have carried out over the years, insisting they have done so because "charity is not an optional extra in society".
He added: "Without my realising it, what my parents were doing was instilling in me and Harry a lifelong habit to put charity at the heart of our lives.
"My father, of course, had inherited this very same habit from his parents. My grandfather Prince Philip has been one of the most tireless public servants of this country, deeply committed to helping young people fulfil their potential.
"My grandmother the Queen has never given a Christmas broadcast without paying tribute to charitable organisations, volunteers and people who care for others. My family have not done this because it looks good - they do it because charity is not an optional extra in society. We believe that, above anything else, charities nurture, repair, build and sustain our society. Without the work that charities do, society would be an empty shell."
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