Prince William visits project tackling youth violence in Manchester

Prince William is all smiles as he shows off his best shots on the baize during a visit to a youth group in Manchester

  • The Prince of Wales, 41, busied himself with a visit to Manchester this morning 
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Prince William enjoyed a game of pool as he today busied himself with a visit to a Manchester project tackling youth violence – while episodes of The Crown that depict the final moments of his mother Princess Diana are released on Netflix. 

The royal, 41, marked the launch of the Royal Foundation Community Impact Project as he made the trip to The Hideaway Youth Project – lead partner of the Manchester Peace Together Alliance – in Moss Side today.

He was all smiles while chatting with volunteers, sporting a relaxed all-navy ensemble, on the same day Peter Morgan’s programme has come out with the heartbreaking storyline outlining the last days of his mother’s life.

The Prince of Wales opted for a casual blazer and trousers, teamed with a cerulean blue jumper and brown suede shoes. 

He appeared in high spirits and looked very focused on a game of pool during the visit as observers took photos. 

He looked very focused on a game of pool during the visit as observers looked at his strategic play

Elsewhere the Prince laughed along while posing for pictures with young people at the centre. 

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Later, he sat down with some children trying their hand at arts and crafts.

He has joined forces with Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham to support the initiative with £100,000 of funding.

During today’s visit he will hear about the work of the Manchester Peace Together Alliance which will receive £50,000 from his Royal Foundation.

The second half was matched by Mr Burnham, who took part in the visit.

The pot will be used to create an employment, skills and training programme for young people who are at risk of violence.

It’s a first for the Alliance – a community-led initiative combating the underlying causes of youth violence with targeted mentoring and activities.

Mr Burnham expressed his ‘delight’ to work with the Prince.

‘We know that working with partners and communities to provide opportunities for young people to engage in positive activity is the most effective way to ensure young people do not get involved with crime or violence,’ he said.

‘We’re committed to doing all we can to stop crime and violence, and the development of a dedicated employment, skills, and training programme for young people at risk of violence, and partnership between the Alliance, Manchester City Council, the business community and Royal Foundation will certainly support this.’ 

The Prince of Wales showed off some of his best shots on the pool table as he joined in with the session during his visit

He was all smiles while chatting with volunteers, sporting a relaxed all-navy ensemble, on the same day Peter Morgan’s programme has come out with episodes outlining the last days of his mother’s life

Elsewhere the Prince laughed along while posing for pictures with young people at the centre today

The three-year project has seen the alliance working for the first time with the private sector, which has committed to providing work shadowing, apprenticeships and employment for young people.

Julie Wharton, director at the Hideaway Youth Project and a senior member of the Alliance, said: ‘All of us at the Manchester Peace Together Alliance are absolutely delighted by the initiative being launched today.

‘At the Hideaway we place ourselves at the centre of the community in Moss Side so we can understand the needs of our young people and ensure we are doing all we can to prevent them from being impacted by the devastation that youth violence can bring.’

The Prince of Wales opted for a casual blazer and trousers, teamed with a cerulean blue jumper and brown suede shoes

He has joined forces with Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham to support the initiative with £100,000 of funding

The three-year project has seen the alliance working for the first time with the private sector, which has committed to providing work shadowing, apprenticeships and employment for young people

William’s visit comes as Netflix has come out with the emotional first four episodes covering the tragic car crash in Paris that killed Princess Diana in August 1997 – alongside her lover Dodi and their chauffeur Henri Paul – and the Royal Family ‘s reaction to it, as well as the summer holiday Diana and Dodi enjoyed in St Tropez prior to the tragedy.

The Paris scenes were shot in the French capital, while a yacht was hired for the St Tropez scenes, although these were actually filmed in Mallorca.

The heartbreaking moment William’s younger brother Prince Harry learned of his mother’s death has been recreated in the series. 

Later, he sat down with some children trying their hand at arts and crafts. Pictured in deep conversation 

William laughed while chatting with people at the centre and observing the impact of it on young people 

The Prince looked curious as he observed young people enjoying some creative endeavours today

The new season shows Dominic West – who plays Prince Charles – telling the boys that their mother has died.

‘Morning darling,’ he first tells William. ‘I’m afraid you’re going to have to be very brave’

The Prince appears at the end of the bed and later, the camera captures close up of Harry’s face, looking shocked with tears in his eyes. 

Prince William is seen standing at the foot of his brother’s bed, although it’s understood that in reality the boys were told separately. Harry described being alone in his bedroom at Balmoral in his memoir Spare when Prince Charles relayed the news. 

In the book he wrote about how his father, who was then the Prince of Wales, sat him down on a bed before breaking the news.

Prince William appeared in high spirits as he met with staff and volunteers during his visit to Moss Side today 

The royal was pictured in conversation with staff and volunteers as he enjoyed a visit to the project today 

The Prince of Wales arrived today for his visit to The Hideaway Youth Project in Moss Side, Manchester, to mark the launch of Royal Foundation Community Impact Project

The royal, 41, marked the launch of the Royal Foundation Community Impact Project as he made the trip to The Hideaway Youth Project

Prince William enjoyed a game of pool as he today busied himself with a visit to a Manchester project tackling youth violence 

William opted for a casual ensemble as he today made the visit to the youth project in Manchester

The Prince was all smiles while chatting with staff and volunteers today, during the Manchester visit 

He said Prince Charles called him ‘my dear son’ before telling him his mother was unlikely to survive head injuries sustained in the crash in Paris in the early hours of August 31, 1997.

He painted the picture of an emotionally-distant father, saying that Charles was ‘not good at expressing his emotions’.

He wrote: ‘What I do remember with stunning clarity is that I did not cry. Not a tear. My father did not hug me.’

In the book, the Duke recalled asking to go and visit his mother while she was in the hospital.

However, he says his father explained she ‘hasn’t recovered any more’, before saying he stayed in his room on his own until the following morning.

He recalled that he and his brother William were forbidden from watching the TV so they didn’t see news of the car crash.

He said for a time he believed Diana had faked her own death and she was ‘running away’ to escape her ‘miserable’ life.

The Duke said his 13-year-old self had wondered if it was a ‘trick’, writing in the book: ‘Her life’s been miserable, she’s been hounded, harassed, lied about, lied to. So she’s staged an accident as a diversion and run away.’

He later admitted this was not the case, but said he returned to the theory as a source of comfort.

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