Prince William plans to end the problem of homelessness in Britain as he told the Sunday Times by planning to start “a really big project” within the month.

The 40-year-old William, giving his first interview since becoming Prince of Wales, said he was determined to “make a difference” to the issue of homelessness in the United Kingdom.

When asked in the interview if there are any plans for affordable homes on the Duchy land, William said: “Absolutely. Social housing. You’ll see it when it’s ready. I’m not a policy expert, but I’m pushing it where I can.”

“It’s all very well to make big gestures, but there’s no point if… it doesn’t have a future,” he added.

He expressed frustration at the government, councils and charities simply “managing” the homelessness crisis rather than “preventing” it.

William was 11 when his mother, the late Princess Diana, took him and Prince Harry to a homeless shelter and is now a patron of Passage, the charity that ran it.

“I don’t tend to give money. I tend to buy them drinks, food, that sort of thing. I find that when I’m walking or driving and I see others doing it [δίνουν χρήματα], people don’t even look at them. How many people stop and talk to someone who is homeless? Very few of us. In my work, I know these people, I hear the stories, I feel it, I see it. This to me – and I have heard from them – is of tremendous importance. They have become invisible. It is very important for society to recognize that there is someone out there and that they are having a hard time. It shouldn’t happen, but it’s right there. You can’t ignore it,” Prince William said.

In fact, he explained that he had spoken to his children, George, Charlotte and Louis, when he took them to school about the people they saw sitting outside supermarkets and that he plans to take his children to a homeless shelter.

“They’re going to grow up knowing that actually, you know what, some of us are very lucky, some of us need a little help, some of us need to do a little bit more where we can to help others improve their lives.”