In a wide-ranging interview with The Sunday Times, Prince William discussed, among other things, his frankness about homelessness to his children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, and acknowledged that it is "sometimes difficult" for many people to understand the significance, purpose, and value of the royal family .

The death of the late King, who had been on the throne for a record 70 years, raised many questions about the relevance of the monarchy and its future role. Meanwhile, the drama surrounding Prince Harry continues to intensify.

William said he understands that the work the royal family does can be forgotten: "But the causes, the concerns, the dinners, the meetings, the visits, whatever it is that we do every day of the year, we've always been involved in it. It's part of what we do."

He added, "We are all very busy and I think sometimes it's hard to see what the family brings and what we do."

With Prince Charles on the throne, the monarchy has slimmed down, as evidenced by the small number of people on the balcony of Buckingham Palace yesterday at "Trooping the Colour." William and his wife, Princess Kate, and their three children joined the King and Queen Camilla, but beside them were only Princess Anne and her husband Timothy Lawrence and Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie, a tiny number compared to the once-packed balcony. [One of the issues was homelessness, an issue that was also important to his late mother, Princess Diana, who died in a car accident in 1997.

To experience the homeless problem firsthand, William revealed that 14 years ago he spent a night in a "rough bunk" near a London subway station. He was joined by Centerpoint CEO Seyi Obakin, who said that Obakin was impressed by William's experience. When they walked back to the charity's headquarters at dawn, William admitted that he was "very uncomfortable," but Obakin said the crown prince was "much better than I was."

"We're trying to spotlight other causes, other people, other concerns, and help people where we can," William said. 'We're going to keep doing that.'