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.”
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.