Prince William visited a women’s shelter & accidentally platformed an awesome lady

Prince William was out and about in Wales on Wednesday, the day after he, King Charles and Queen Camilla benched the Princess of Wales by not allowing her to attend the diplomatic reception. Interestingly enough, Kate’s non-attendance still isn’t being discussed whatsoever among the rota. The same rota who scream “separation!!!” every time Prince Harry is photographed solo. Anyway, on Wednesday, William was in Newport, Wales. He visited a homeless shelter which seems more like a specialized women’s shelter, for women escaping domestic violence and abuse and they end up homeless. A woman named Sabrina Cohen-Hatton was a big part of this event – she’s been involved with William’s Homewards for the past year, and she was featured in William’s recent documentary. I’ll say something nice: it’s good when one of William or Kate’s events ends up giving a huge platform to someone like Sabrina Cohen-Hatton. I just wish she didn’t have to spend half the interview embiggening a bald dolt.

Following the annual diplomatic reception on Nov. 19, the Prince of Wales, 42, was in Newport, Wales on Nov. 20 — one of the areas that he’s focusing on in his ongoing bid to eliminate homelessness. Meeting him there was Sabrina Cohen-Hatton, a fire chief who was homeless as a teen. She introduced him to several unhoused women privately at a meeting in the city on Wednesday.

“It was a really powerful visit. We visited a provision that is really focused on women’s experience of homelessness,” she says. “As we know, women’s experience of homelessness is very different to men’s — that’s not to diminish men’s experience in any way, shape or form.” Unhoused women, for example, are more likely to be “hidden” for fear of rough sleeping, a term used for sleeping outside or in places not typically used for sleeping, like cars and abandoned buildings.

“We present differently, so figures are skewed and access to support are skewed,” Cohen-Hatton says. “Women might face exploitation, sexual and domestic violence and the trauma that is wrapped around women’s experience of homelessness. And it needs a different fix.”

“One of the great things about the visit was the prince was able to see firsthand just what we need to do,” Cohen-Hatton says, adding, “It was a really powerful conversation for the prince to hear. One of things that I always see with my engagements with the prince is his real focus on the human impact of homelessness. One of the really important things about today is an opportunity to remind us why we’re doing this, speaking to the people who are affected by that.”

“It’s really powerful to be able to see that. It was a really meaningful visit,” she adds. “He was quite moved. One of the great things about the prince is really manages to put people at ease very quickly. I was able to visit slightly [with them] before the prince arrived. So I saw the nerves initially and then I saw the prince come in and instantly quell those. That’s a skill he has.”

Cohen-Hatton appeared in Prince William’s recent documentary Prince William: We Can End Homelessness, which premiered late last month. She believes he’ll use what he heard at the Nov. 20 meeting going forward, as “hearing about people’s experiences is able to inform how he can then direct Homewards to help. One of the questions he was asking throughout was how Homewards is making a difference and also how Homewards can help with the pinch points that we miss,” Cohen-Hatton says.

“He’s very good with his manner and line of questioning,” she tells PEOPLE. “So it’s always led by the individual he’s talking to. He never pushes to ask for details but waits to see what people are comfortable talking about and sharing. And he’s very good at putting people at ease and helping them to relax in a situation where they might not necessarily feel relaxed!”

Being in Newport “meant a lot to the women that met him,” she adds. “They were quite nervous beforehand, but what a life experience [it is] for them to meet the prince, who’s interested in hearing their stories. It’s important to reinforce how important it is to humanize people who are experiencing homelessness.”

“When I experienced it, I felt dehumanized on a daily basis, and you feel like you don’t have a sense of worth and you feel like you must deserve the situation you’re in,” she continues. “But actually, to have the prince coming in and listening to your experience, being interested in that and looking at how he can help, I think that is a really powerful place to be.”

[From People]

Sabrina Cohen-Hatton sounds like an amazing person and someone who absolutely deserves a bigger platform. I appreciate the fact that Kensington Palace seemingly gave her the go-ahead to speak at length about the event and the issues at hand. It would have been powerful if William had been able to speak eloquently about the intersection of violence, exploitation and homelessness? But we can’t have everything. William was quoted as saying that he wants to be a “disruptor” on the homelessness issue and that his goal is “change the narrative and lose the stigma.” He’s too stupid to understand that his greatest power is platforming people like Sabrina Cohen-Hatton and ensuring that they have the kind of funding they need to truly make a difference. But then he wouldn’t get “credit” for being a disruptor!

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

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26 Responses to “Prince William visited a women’s shelter & accidentally platformed an awesome lady”

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  1. somebody says:

    It sounds like he is being infantilized same as Kate always is. She is really building him up for having basic social skills.

    • kirk says:

      Sounds like the same lady who was in his homeless documentary. Watched the first part (Disney?) and she was major homeless advocate. No question that documentary would have been a dud without her. But it was hard to stomach her unabashed praise of him for his apolitical efforts at “solving” homelessness with a very modest financial sum, considering his wealth. And that was before all the stuff came out about him excluding himself from residential tenant upgrades allowing heating energy to escape to the sky in direct conflict with Earthspit.

  2. Becks1 says:

    Her comments are very powerful and its great that she has this platform – this is absolutely what KP should be doing more of. William’s thoughts on homelessness are immaterial (I mean does anyone think its good? So when he talks about it being something he wants to end thats very simplistic and obvious.) But the thoughts of a person who has lived it, come out on the other side and now is trying to help others are very different.

    It just bugs me because you know she was either explicitly or implicitly told that she had to embiggen William. This starts out being about the issue and then becomes a pro William PR piece. You know that’s by KP’s design.

    • Chrissy says:

      I totally agree. She sounds like a William fangirl/PR person when he should not be the focus of the meeting.

      • Christine says:

        Yeah, it’s the “that’s a skill he has.” She’s been told to highlight his ability to put people at ease, which he absolutely does not have, and it just falls completely flat.

        We’ve seen actresses at the BAFTAs who can’t hide how awkward he is, actual actresses! She is someone who should be highlighted, it shouldn’t come with a side of blowing smoke up a prince’s ass, imo.

        You aren’t Harry, but you could still be a person who deeply cares about highlighting women like this, and it would be enough. Stop worrying about your little brother and find something to be passionate about! That’s what Harry did, and look what he became.

  3. ML says:

    https://england.shelter.org.uk/media/press_release/women_are_some_of_the_biggest_losers_in_englands_broken_housing_system

    I dislike him and I don’t see exactly how Slumlord Willy is combatting the causes of homelessness yet, but ITA that highlighting Sabrina Cohen-Hatton is a good thing. She’s eloquent, having gone through it she understands and has empathy, and she gave PW an excellent job recommendation there. I hope it helps.

    • Tessa says:

      William is all talk. The real efforts are done by social workers. Doctors and places that provide shelters

      • manda says:

        yeah right? he could put some money where his mouth is and it wouldn’t barely make a dent in what he has, but nope. He could make an effort to get those terrible flats he owns up to code, and again, it would not make a dent in what he has, but nope. What a selfish POS, IMO

  4. Tessa says:

    The saint William spin was totally unnecessary but that was how peg wanted it.

    • Yes it was . I’m glad she is getting her platform out there and I laugh at how it’s something that came about by a vanity project of Pegs. He did something good with his vanity project and he didn’t even know it because it’s always all about him.

    • one of the marys says:

      I agree she had to reflect how he wants to be perceived. It reminded me of how people coach children actually. You model behaviour and praise them when they make those first steps in the right direction. “I really liked how polite and welcoming you were to auntie Mary and helping me with the tea and biscuits” Perhaps in hearing a description of himself like this he will start to internalize it as a goal for how he interacts with the public

  5. Amy Bee says:

    I don’t know, how is William now learning about homelessness among women? You would think he would have done the research and work before launching this project. It would have great if we least about William and more about his plans to help homeless people.

  6. Nanea says:

    Sabrina Cohen-Hatton is someone who deserves to be heard.

    But she and the Homewards org need substantial financial support, most of all.

    So when can we expect the Royal Foundation of the Wailses to make a major donation, one that can make a difference on its own, instead of being a minuscule fraction of a larger sum supplied by others?

  7. Hypocrisy says:

    A secured shelter for women leaving violent relationships saved my life, so I hope this place gets lots of funding.

  8. Jais says:

    She seems amazing. I do genuinely hope that Sabrina and Homewards benefit from this spotlight. I hope that happens! And they get more funding or whatever else’s they need. William’s buzz word of disruptor while Sabrina is talking about how women experience homelessness differently than men is a choice.

  9. Lady Digby says:

    Will is the ultimate disruptor of the monarchy ‘s laughable claims of selfless service!

  10. Eurydice says:

    Well, this is a welcome relief from William’s usual appearances. It sounds like KP have been paying attention to the “be more like Harry” criticism by the BM.

  11. Cj says:

    1. There’s no way he puts people at ease. His body language is so closed off and uncomfortable but sure; that’s a skill his brother has so OBVIOUSLY he has it too.

    2. “He doesn’t ask for details” is hilariously backhanded as a compliment. So he either lacks the knowledge to know what to ask and takes it all at face value unless someone tells him different, or he’s too uninterested to care for more.

    Slow clap for him though. He’s great, he’s super, he’s the best prince around…

    It sounds like she does amazing work and is one of the many people who should have been at the centre of his documentary instead of it being all about him.

  12. Beverley says:

    Bet Pegs went empty handed. His sacred presence and listening ear made all the difference.

    • Lady Digby says:

      @Bev reminds me of Lina Lamont faux humility in Singing On The Rain when she addressed the audience at her latest film: If we bring a little joy into your humdrum lives, it makes us feel as though our hard work ain’t been in vain for nothin’. Bless you all.
      Saintly Will is just the same as we should feel uplifted at being in his presence

  13. one of the marys says:

    I’m curious to know if the pictures in this piece are made available by the prince’s team or how they are made available. They’re so unflattering it’s hard to believe the team would release them

    • Unblinkered says:

      The same pictures appear on several of the UK news websites so seems like they were released generally.
      Looking at them, he appears ill and under considerable strain. His domestic situation is not working for him.

  14. Cassie says:

    The embiggening of William continues , but at least he seems to be making more of an effort I guess .

    It’s a good cause the Royalists will be proud of him and as usual he goes solo .

    • Tessa says:

      I am not buying into it. He is just all “on the surface” and patronizing since has enormous wealth. There are people on the streets with PTSD that need serious treatments that they are not getting. William bragging he can solve it makes it all the worse.