Prince William visits homeless project

The Prince of Wales will visit housing initiatives in Sheffield on Tuesday to promote his homeless project.

After being out of public view since Christmas, she appeared relaxed and smiling in video footage from a farm store in Windsor.

The prince hopes that attention will once again focus on one of his personal causes.

The prince and princess have had a difficult start to the year, as Catherine underwent abdominal surgery and spent time recovering. She is expected to return to public office after Easter.

His health has been the subject of widespread and often wild conspiracy theories on social media and rumors from Internet sleuths.

So far we’ve seen a grainy photo of the princess in a car and that much-discussed photo posted for Mother’s Day, which was pulled by photo agencies over fears it had been digitally altered. This only increased the mood of feverish uncertainty about her health.

On Monday night, the Sun and other newspapers published a photo of the royal couple shopping near their home in Windsor over the weekend, taken from a video provided by a member of the public.

This video, although not confirmed by Kensington Palace, suggests something much more optimistic and everyday than the wild and outlandish claims made on social media.

It won’t stop the cycle of rumors, which will now speculate whether it’s really them, but it’s the clearest evidence yet that Catherine is looking good during her recovery.

Royal commentator Caroline Aston said the new photographs and the possibility of new conspiracy theories on social media will not help Catherine recover from her serious surgery.

She told Radio 4’s Today programme: “Recovery can be long and hard and it’s also a mental struggle and, frankly, I don’t think recent events have helped the princess’s recovery all that much.”

Kensington Palace has not denied that the photo is of the couple.

The Sun says the video was taken by a member of the public, and the royal couple could hardly have expected to stroll through their local shop without expecting to be seen.

But part of Kensington Palace’s reluctance to confirm what would otherwise be a positive story is the thorny question it raises about privacy.

It could set a difficult precedent for a couple who want to protect normal family life as much as possible, especially after the team surrounding the prince and princess have repeatedly asked that their privacy be respected while Catherine recovers.

And while American publications published paparazzi photos of the princess last month, the UK press did not.

The difference in presenting this image could be the sheer volume of interest on social media, with false claims about imminent announcements and wild speculation.

It was so intense that there were conspiracy theories upon conspiracy theories. Was all this coordinated?

Prince William and Catherine and their public relations team are well aware of this pressure, as they try to protect themselves in this strange media storm. They are members of ancient royalty, who are not separated from what is said.

This photograph, and the speculation that accompanies it, could also overshadow William’s trip to Sheffield.

The prince will want the focus on one of his most important projects – an ambitious five-year plan to tackle homelessness based in six locations in the UK and launched last year.

That includes Sheffield, where the prince meets people who have faced housing insecurity and hears about some of the projects tackling what appears to be a worsening problem.

The Homewards initiative is Prince William’s “flagship project” and he has a keen personal interest in how his local partnerships are developing, a royal source says.

To coincide with the visit, DIY chain Homebase will donate 1,500 “starter packs” of furniture, paint and other items to help families move into new accommodation.

Helping to organize the packs will be housing campaigner Kwajo Tweneboa, who said: “Safe, permanent and secure housing is paramount to ensuring homelessness does not become part of a family’s history.”

Making families feel comfortable and “supporting their wellbeing” has also been shown to reduce future homelessness.

The prince’s visit is also supported by some of Sheffield’s landlords, with 33 three- and four-bedroom properties available for “families on the verge of homelessness or homelessness”.

The focus of the Homewards project is to bring together grassroots organisations, charities and business partners to form local coalitions.

The scale of the problem in Sheffield was highlighted by annual figures showing that 4,000 people or families had applied to be registered as homeless, the council’s highest figure ever and 500 more than the previous year.

Last month, the government announced £3m funding for Sheffield City Council to tackle rough sleeping and homelessness.