A prince of the people: William dons his red cap and teams up with the homeless to sell the Big Issue outside a Tesco supermarket 'before swapping Christmas cards with magazine vendor who he befriended'

Prince William left shoppers in London stunned this morning after he was spotted helping the homeless by selling the Big Issue. 

The Prince of Wales donned his red cap and jacket to sell the magazine to people outside Tesco in Hammersmith, London. 

Beaming William, 41, appeared relaxed as he joined vendor Dave Martin, 61, who has been a friend of the royal since they hit the streets selling Big Issue copies together 18 months ago, with the pair even swapping Christmas cards. 

A source told The Sun: 'He decided he wanted to go see Dave and swap Christmas cards and they sold The Big Issue together.'

On Kensington Palace's official X account, Prince William wrote: 'Great to be back with Dave, selling the latest edition of the Big Issue once again!' 

William's appearance comes after a week of drama for the Royal Family following the explosive accusations by author Omid Scobie, whose new book named the Princess of Wales and King Charles as the alleged 'royal racists' who questioned what skin colour Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's son, Archie, would have before he was born. 

Neither Buckingham Palace or the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have commented on any of the allegations by 'fantasist' Scobie - revealed in the Dutch version of his 400-page tome, with the Firm instead appearing to stick by the age-old royal dictate of 'never complain, never explain'. 

Today, William seemed untroubled by the drama as he smiled and spoke to shoppers while doing his bit to help the homeless. 

Among those witnessing the royal in action was father-to-be Oliver Kempton, who popped out of his office to buy a sandwich from Tesco - and went back with a stunning picture of himself with the the future King of England.

Oliver literally bumped into Prince William who was selling copies of the Big Issue outside Tesco in Hammersmith and, after buying a copy, posed up with William.

'To be honest I was speechless when I realised the Big Issue seller I was talking to was the Prince of Wales. He happily posed up with me for my colleague to take our picture - it is something I will be able to share with all the family.

The 33-year-old who works in advertising and is the son of a retired senior ambulance chief, is to become a father in February.

'It is the first time I have met royalty - the photo is something I'll be able to show my new-born when they are a bit older,' he added.

The Prince launched his Homewards project this year to end homelessness and has been campaigning for rough sleepers since his mother Princess Diana took him out on the streets when he was a child. 

His visit to Tesco with Dave follows a similar trip out with the Big Issue venue back in 2022 to mark the future King's 40th birthday. 

On this occasion, William sold 32 copies of the Big Issue in less than an hour as he spent the day on the streets of Victoria, London. 

He also wrote for the magazine, explaining he wanted to shine a light on the issue of homelessness, recalling when he first visited a homeless shelter with his mother, the Princess of Wales. He added that Diana, 'in her own inimitable style, was determined to shine a light on an overlooked, misunderstood problem'.

He even said he plans to take his children Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five, to see the work 'fantastic' organisations he works with 'just as my mother did for me'.

The never-before-seen footage, which was released on his social media, shows William accompanying Big Issue vendor Dave, for the afternoon where they sold 32 copies of the magazine, which is sold by people to help lift themselves out of poverty.

On Twitter he said: 'I have always believed in using my platform to help bring attention and action to those who are struggling and I commit to doing what I can to shine a spotlight on this solvable issue not just today, but in the months and years to come.'

In the video, the Duke says: 'Homelessness has always stuck with me as a topic and as an issue I want to fight for. 

'Started to kind of feel actually this issue isn't quite as big to tackle as we think. We can fix it. 

'I think that's been a bit of a turning point in my head, where I've seen, okay if we really want to fix homelessness it can be done. We do it together. Give the next generation less chance of being homeless.'

Speaking to the magazine for the special edition, William said that 'in the years ahead' he hopes to bring his children to 'see the fantastic organisations doing inspiring work to support those most in need – just as my mother did for me'.

William wrote: 'I was 11 when I first visited a homeless shelter with my mother, who in her own inimitable style was determined to shine a light on an overlooked, misunderstood problem. 

'In the 30-odd years since, I've seen countless projects in this space grow from strength to strength, including charities of which I have had the honour of being Patron. 

'New initiatives have been launched up and down the country – some have worked, some have not. But The Big Issue, perhaps now the most immediately recognisable of these organisations, has undeniably had an impact.

He continued: 'I wanted to experience the other side and see what it was like to be a Big Issue vendor. My time was truly eye opening. I was lucky to join Dave on a warm, sunny day in June. People recognised a familiar face and were happy to give me the time of day. But that isn't the case for the vast majority of Big Issue vendors...

'And while I may seem like one of the most unlikely advocates for this cause, I have always believed in using my platform to help tell those stories and to bring attention and action to those who are struggling. I plan to do that now I'm turning 40, even more than I have in the past. 

'So, for my part, I commit to continue doing what I can to shine a spotlight on this solvable issue not just today, but in the months and years to come.

'And in the years ahead, I hope to bring George, Charlotte and Louis to see the fantastic organisations doing inspiring work to support those most in need – just as my mother did for me.' 

Only a few days after the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, the Duke of Cambridge sold the magazine on Rochester Row, close to Victoria in London with Dave Martin, Big Issue vendor. 

Together that afternoon they sold 32 copies. They then visited The Passage, a homelessness charity nearby that supports people who are street homeless or at risk of homelessness, of which the Duke became a Patron in 2019. 

It was to The Passage that Princess Diana brought her young sons to give them an insight into the challenges faced by people on the margins.

The Duke and Dave then interviewed each other about their Big Issue selling experience, homelessness, how the Jubilee brought the country together and much more. The conversation is available to read in The Big Issue magazine and website.

When William asked Dave what The Big Issue had done for him, he said: 'It got me off the street. Gave me respect. I was begging at the time. Another vendor said I could be doing something a lot better and took me along to the Big Issue office.'

The Duke added: 'People who are homeless can't rebuild their life without a number of things. And one of those things is respect and self-respect. And that's what The Big Issue gives you, along with a means to earn an income.'

Lord John Bird, founder of The Big Issue, said: 'I met with Prince William and told him how I myself had been homeless and got out of grief by being imprisoned and then went on to start The Big Issue. 

'We need to do everything we can to get the millions of people in the UK out of poverty for good. We need more emphasis on prevention and cure, not just all the support and effort going into emergency relief.

'The scale of interest in William selling The Big Issue has been enormous. And it puts our vendors and their sterling work in the public eye again. Anyone can sell The Big Issue, even a Prince!'

Mick Clarke, CEO of The Passage, said: 'We were delighted to host our Royal Patron, HRH The Duke of Cambridge, for this special interview with Dave and The Big Issue. 

'The Duke has visited The Passage on many occasions over the years to meet our clients and raise awareness and support for people affected by homelessness. We were especially pleased to welcome Dave as a former Passage client and very proud to see how he has moved on in life.

'As The Duke mentions in the interview, the 'Everyone In' programme showed that when society works together, we can truly make progress towards ending street homelessness – which simply should not exist in 21st century Britain. The Passage stands alongside The Duke, The Big Issue and many others who are working hard in the fight to end homelessness.'

This special edition of The Big Issue magazine is available to buy from vendors like Dave across the UK. Vendors buy magazines for £1.50 and sell them for £3, keeping the proceeds.

There are around 1,300 men and women working their way out of poverty by selling The Big Issue. 

Visit www.bigissue.com to find your local Big Issue seller. If you can't get to a local vendor, subscriptions are available at www.bigissue.com/subscribe to help continue the work of the organisation.