Barbados Times

Barbados, Caribbean & World News
Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

Prince William spotted selling Big Issue in central London

Prince William spotted selling Big Issue in central London

The Duke of Cambridge has been spotted in central London quietly helping to sell Big Issue magazines.

Retired Met Police Ch Supt Matthew Gardner shared photos of Prince William on Rochester Row, in Westminster, on his social media account.

He said his brother-in-law, Richard Hannant, had seen what he thought was a celebrity and took a distanced photo.

Prince William then crossed the road and spoke to Mr Hannant while wearing the iconic Big Issue uniform.

The magazine is sold by homeless people, long-term unemployed people, and those who need money to avoid getting into debt, the Big Issue says.

Vendors are given five free magazines, which are then sold to the public for £3, with additional copies bought for £1.50.

Richard Hannant was surprised Prince William was spotted just days after celebrating the Queen's Platinum Jubilee


Mr Hannant, a property manager, has since said he was on his way back to the office when he spotted the royal among a small group of people in the street.

The 47-year-old, who lives in Bath but works in London, said: "He was amazing, he was so friendly."

He added: "I think what struck me is we've just got past a massive Jubilee event and days later he's out there supporting a charity like Big Issue.

"I think it's that that I thought was most amazing because one is a worldwide event, this is just a low-key [event], literally standing on the side of the road with a homeless person.

"I was quite amazed that he could go from one massive event to such a low-key thing."

In his social media post, Mr Gardner wrote alongside the photo of his brother-in-law and the prince: "What an honour to have a private moment with our future king who was humble and working quietly in the background, helping the most needy.

"These 'silent gestures' often go unrecognised.

"The finale to this unique occasion was when Prince William asked my brother-in-law If he wanted to buy the Big Issue, to which he replied 'I have no change'.

"At this point William produced a mobile card machine… you cannot teach that!

"Priceless, or should I say, 'princely'."

Lithuanian tourists Vitalijus and Laura Zuikauskas also met the prince on their visit to London to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

"We bought the magazine and had a warm chat," said Mr Zuikauskas. "We wished him good luck and shook hands, and were excited that the Royal Family take big care of ordinary people."

He added the future king had a "warm personality" and they were "excited and really happy" to meet him.

Another social media post by black cab driver Neil Kramer also showed Prince William in the uniform posing for a photo with another Big Issue vendor.


He said: "I was charging up my taxi on Rochester Row in Westminster when I was approached by a vendor who introduced himself as William and asked would I like to buy a copy of the Big Issue.

"When I realised who it was, I was a bit shocked but of course said yes.

"He then introduced the other gentlemen with him and we had a lovely chat for 15 minutes about the charity and its work."

Mr Kramer said the prince asked him if he was a regular reader, to which he replied there was always an opportunity to buy the magazine when on a rank or charging up.

Richard Hannant told Prince William they shared the same birthday, 21 June, to which the prince replied "happy birthday"


He added Prince William was engaging and polite, and that he never forgot his name.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have previously spoken of their involvement with charities close to their heart, often inspired by his mother, the late Princess Diana.

In 2014, he visited homeless charity Centrepoint, while in 2018 the couple went to The Passage homeless centre in Westminster.

The Big Issue has been approached for a comment.


The Duke of Cambridge posed for photos with tourists, members of the public and a taxi driver


Newsletter

Related Articles

Barbados Times
0:00
0:00
Close
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Israel: Unprecedented Civil Disobedience Looms as IDF Reservists Protest Judiciary Reform
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
Europe is boiling: Extreme Weather Conditions Prevail Across the Continent
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Italian Court's Controversial Ruling on Sexual Harassment Ignites Uproar
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
40,000 child slaves in Congo are forced to work in cobalt mines so we can drive electric cars.
BBC Personalities Rebuke Accusations Amidst Scandal Involving Teen Exploitation
A Swift Disappointment: Why Is Taylor Swift Bypassing Canada on Her Global Tour?
Historic Moment: Edgars Rinkevics, EU's First Openly Gay Head of State, Takes Office as Latvia's President
Bye bye democracy, human rights, freedom: French Cops Can Now Secretly Activate Phone Cameras, Microphones And GPS To Spy On Citizens
The Poor Man With Money, Mark Zuckerberg, Unveils Twitter Replica with Heavy-Handed Censorship: A New Low in Innovation?
Unilever Plummets in a $2.5 Billion Free Fall, to begin with: A Reckoning for Misuse of Corporate Power Against National Interest
Beyond the Blame Game: The Need for Nuanced Perspectives on America's Complex Reality
Twitter Targets Meta: A Tangle of Trade Secrets and Copycat Culture
The Double-Edged Sword of AI: AI is linked to layoffs in industry that created it
US Sanctions on China's Chip Industry Backfire, Prompting Self-Inflicted Blowback
Meta Copy Twitter with New App, Threads
The New French Revolution
BlackRock Bitcoin ETF Application Refiled, Naming Coinbase as ‘Surveillance-Sharing’ Partner
×