William visits first resident helped by homeless charity

The Prince of Wales abandoned his car for a walking tour of Aberdeen with a homeless-friendly employer now working in the city.

Prince William scrapped plans to be driven between events and opted for a 30-minute walk through the city led by Angus Stirling, who was once homeless. Mr Stirling now has a job as a guide with "Invisible Cities" offering city tours across the UK guided by people who have been homeless.

Aberdeen is one of six locations that make up the Prince's Homewards project along with Newport, Lambeth, Belfast, Sheffield and the Bournemouth area.

It has the target of ending homelessness at those six locations by 2028 - "making it rare, brief and unrepeated".

Joined by Homewards supporters - TV presenter Gail Porter and entrepreneur Steven Bartlett - the trip to Aberdeen marks a significant moment for Prince William as he visited the home of the first resident to be housed by the charity.

Thirty-one properties in Aberdeen have been made available to those at risk of homelessness as part of a scheme to bring empty homes back into use more quickly.

The royal-backed project has been working with local and national businesses to provide furniture and fittings for the homes from businesses including IKEA, Dunelm and the DFS Group.

"Through this initiative, we are not only providing safe and secure homes but also fostering a supportive environment," said Judith Sutherland, who is Director of Housing at the Langstane House Association in Aberdeen.

Future Homewards plans include social housing being built on part of the Duchy of Cornwall Estate.

"Our focus is always on impact. What you're seeing today is Homewards moving into its delivery phase," a Kensington Palace spokesperson told the BBC, adding the prince "remains laser focused" on showing "that it is possible to end homelessness".

William began his day in Scotland by launching a new partnership between his homelessness project and the global recruitment firm, Hays, which will try to find jobs for some at risk of homelessness.

Talking to a group of young people, he heard how some had been looking for work for up to two years.

The prince told them: "I think things are pretty demoralising having waited so long and keep getting rejected, that's going to get you down."

The homelessness campaign is a major long-term focus for William, who has spoken of how visiting shelters with his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales, when he was a child left a deep and lasting impression and inspired his work.