'Scary': Prince William and Seyi Obakin bed down for the night in their sleeping bags near Blackfriars bridge, London, where the temperature plummeted to -4C Prince William has spent a night sleeping rough to understand the plight of the homeless at Christmas.
He stayed out in temperatures as low as minus 4c, lying in a central London alleyway surrounded by wheelie bins.
The Prince, patron of the charity Centrepoint, said he was trying to 'do his bit' to help the vulnerable.
He was slightly better off than the average rough sleeper, as he was accompanied by his armed personal protection officer, his private secretary - a former SAS officer - and the chief executive of the homelessness charity.
Even the venue, a secluded spot close to Blackfriars Bridge in the City, was carefully chosen for safety.
And he did have the prospect of a big lunch at Buckingham Palace the next day to keep his spirits up.
But the Prince said afterwards that the experience had helped to deepen his understanding of life on the streets.
In a statement today, William, 27, said: 'I cannot, after one night, even begin to imagine what it must be like to sleep rough on London's streets night after night.
'Centrepoint's work - along with many other organisations' - in tackling these fundamental causes is desperately important if we are ever to end homelessness in this country. I hope that by deepening my understanding of the issue, I can help do my bit to help the most vulnerable on our streets.'
source: dailymail