Prince William Steps Out in a Tux (and Facial Hair!) to Support Cause Princess Diana Introduced Him to as a Young Boy

Prince William’s work surrounding homelessness continues with a special appearance at an awards ceremony connected to a cause he’s long supported.

The Prince of Wales, 42, attended the Centrepoint Awards on Wednesday, Oct. 16, celebrating the achievements of young people who have transformed their lives after experiencing homelessness. Winners and finalists alike have made significant strides in their careers, personal development and contributions to society, and the awards ceremony illuminates these individuals’ “courage, resilience, strength and determination,” according to Prince William’s office at Kensington Palace.

The royal was expected to deliver a speech at the event, as well as spend time meeting this year’s finalists — all of whom have been recognized for their leadership, academic accomplishments and dedication to their respective communities.

“Each of the finalists have overcome huge challenges and gone on to accomplish incredible things, demonstrating how much young people can achieve with the right support,” a statement from Kensington Palace said.

In addition to his speech, Prince William will also present awards to winners in six categories.

Centrepoint supports thousands of vulnerable young people each year by providing accommodation, teaching valuable life skills, tackling physical and mental health issues and working to support them into education or employment.

Homelessness has been a cause close to Prince William’s heart as far back as his own childhood, when his mother, Princess Diana, took him and his brother Prince Harry to a homeless shelter to learn more about the issue. Princess Diana was patron of Centrepoint during her time as a working royal, and Prince William followed in her footsteps by becoming patron in 2005. (In addition to his work with Centrepoint, Prince William is also patron of another charity that is working to eradicate homelessness, The Passage.)

In 2009, William even famously slept on the streets of London one night to benefit the charity, which started in the basement of St. Anne’s Church in London in 1969 and has grown to become the U.K.’s leading youth homelessness charity. In 2022, as he marked his milestone 40th birthday, William took part in an interview for The Big Issue, which supports homeless people — and even sold copies of the magazine on the streets of London.

In his opinion piece for The Big Issue, William said, “I refuse to believe that homelessness is an irrevocable fact of life. It is an issue that can be solved, but that requires a continued focus and comprehensive support network.”

In June 2023, William launched his Homewards campaign as part of the Prince and Princess of Wales’ Royal Foundation with the goal of ending homelessness for good. A statement from Kensington Palace emphasized that a central objective of Homewards is “to change the narrative and challenge negative perceptions and stereotypes around homelessness,” and aims to do this work through a five-year plan.

“In a modern and progressive society, everyone should have a safe and secure home, be treated with dignity and given the support they need,” Prince William said in a statement. “Through Homewards, I want to make this a reality and over the next five years, give people across the UK hope that homelessness can be prevented when we collaborate.”

“I am fortunate to have seen first-hand the tireless work of people and organizations across the sector, the tangible impact their efforts can have and what can be done when communities are able to focus on preventing homelessness, rather than managing it,” he added. “It’s a big task, but I firmly believe that by working together it is possible to make homelessness rare, brief and unrepeated, and I am very much looking forward to working with our six locations to make our ambition a reality.”

At the time of its launch, Prince William’s spokesperson said, “This is something that means so much to him, and it meant so much to his mother. That first visit to The Passage has really inspired this work.”

“He has been across every detail of this project,” the spokesperson added. “It was the prince who asked the Foundation to go away and look at how they could make a real impact on this issue, and he will be involved in every location. For him, it is up there as one of his most important projects. This is not for today or tomorrow. He is committed to transforming the way that we as a nation think about homelessness.”

Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!

Prince William’s forthcoming ITV1 documentary about the issue, Prince William: We Can End Homelessness, follows Homewards in its first year. “I’ve slowly tried to work out what can I bring to the role and the platform that I have,” Prince William said in a trailer for the documentary via voiceover. “I have taken some inspiration and guidance from what my mother did, particularly with homelessness.”

He concluded, “I don’t believe we should be living with homelessness in the 21st century.”