The Duke of Cambridge got his hands dirty as he helped to prepare a chicken curry during a visit to a centre for young homeless people.
Hearing about the challenges they face as they try to rebuild their lives, Prince William donned an apron, sprinkled some flour and helped roll out some chapatis at the Centrepoint base in Sunderland.
The prince was also given a tour of the centre and met the people staying there. As well as trying his hand in the kitchen, Prince William sat down with some of the residents and asked them about their lives.
Wade Tench, 20, told him that he could not thank the centre enough for what it had done for him.
“Here I have begun to learn about independent living and learned skills like budgeting and other skills.
“They helped me get on to a course at Nissan and it’s like a home away from home.”
After hearing about how much the young people appreciate the centre, Prince William said: “The support here is so good you probably don’t want to leave.”
The prince, who is patron of Centrepoint, heard how they are working with The Prince’s Trust, the youth charity founded by his father, the Prince of Wales. They are working with the End Youth Homelessness campaign, a problem that affects 80,000 under-25s a year.
Jenna Sams, 19, joined the Prince’s Trust and completed the Get Into Contact Centres programme after previously being homeless and unemployed.
“I know it’s a cliche but the programme honestly changed my life. It gave me hope and something to look forward to,” she said.
Working with Sunderland City Council, the centre can house up to 18 young people at any time and residents can stay and receive high-level support for up to three months.
The service also offers training facilities to help young people with basic skills such as cooking, and to access further learning.