William carries on Diana’s humanitarian legacy with hands-on charity work, say royal biographers

Prince William's public life is increasingly framed as a continuation of Princess Diana's humanitarian work, royal biographers say. Since losing his mother at 15, William has pledged to keep her legacy alive by supporting the causes she championed, including child bereavement and homelessness. Close observers describe him as the royal who blends duty with approachability. Gyles Brandreth, a longtime friend of Prince Philip, has said William stands out as the only royal who outshines both Diana and the Duke of Edinburgh in terms of empathy and accessibility. Tina Brown, in The Palace Papers, sketches a portrait of a couple whose lives appear normal by royal standards yet are defined by service. The couple's charity work includes East Anglia's Children's Hospices, where Catherine serves as royal patron, and their presence at fundraisers has become a measured extension of Diana's legacy.

The 2016 charity dinner at Houghton Hall in Norfolk, described by Tina Brown, offers one of the clearest illustrations of William's style: conversations that put guests at ease rather than stage-managed moments. A guest, Euan Rellie, recalled William and Kate's ease in conversation and how they put guests at ease. The author details a memory of an elderly Park Avenue donor who had traveled from the United States to attend the function but was unwell and unable to join the other guests. William is said to have learned of her absence and reportedly asked for tea and biscuits to be brought to her door before privately thanking her for her generosity. Brown calls the moment a classic Diana Spencer move, a touch of natural kindness that had a larger impact than a grand gesture. Rellie adds that such moments show how William learned from his mother and how he brings that same empathy into his public life.

Brandreth writes in his 2021 book that he has watched William in settings from Highgrove to the streets and found him comfortable with both aristocracy and everyday people. Brown notes that the couple's public life reflects that blend of formality and informality, making charitable events feel accessible rather than distant.

The life William has chosen—and his willingness to speak openly about loss—has increasingly defined his public mission. In 2009 he became patron of Child Bereavement UK, a charity Diana helped launch, and royal biographers say his personal experience of loss gives him a specific credibility when addressing families facing grief. Katie Nicholl, in The Making of a Royal Romance, writes that neither William nor Harry wants to be merely figureheads and that their strength lies, at times, in engaging with ordinary people rather than remaining behind a formal facade. Nicholl quotes William addressing The Child Bereavement Charity about loss, saying that never being able to say the word Mummy again in your life sounds like a small thing, but for many it is now really just a word—hollow and evoking memories. Nicholl argues that by sharing his own experiences he helps build trust with families at a difficult moment.

William's charity work has long extended to homelessness and youth outreach. Photographs and reporting from the period show him walking with homeless young people supported by Centrepoint on a fell walk in Cumbria in July 2009, and later visiting a Centrepoint hostel in London. Proponents say these episodes underline the prince's "common touch," a quality many observers say Diana embodied and William has carried forward. Vivienne Parry, a longtime friend of Diana, described how Diana's passion for helping homeless people echoes in William's work; she said William slept rough on the streets during a visit, and that Diana would have loved it. The 2006 and 2009 public engagements are often cited by biographers as evidence that William seeks not to replicate the royal timetable as an ornament, but to bring real work and empathy into the daily duties of royal service.

In 2025, William's work with children and families affected by bereavement remains a throughline. He attended events for Child Bereavement UK during a visit to a charity service in London, underscoring the continuing link between his public role and Diana's legacy. The 2025 engagement aligns with the broader theme that his life has followed: to blend hands-on service with the public-facing role of a modern royal, one that emphasizes connection over ceremony.

Observers say the pattern signals a deliberate strategy to keep the monarchy relevant by foregrounding service, approachability and empathy. Nicholl notes that William's common touch complements Kate's reform-minded style, while Brandreth and Brown emphasize the lasting influence of Diana's example. The overall portrait is of a prince who turned personal loss into a long-running, hands-on program of charity, anchored in the everyday acts of kindness that defined his mother.