16 November 2023 , 23:00
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The Prince of Wales was put on the spot when a cheeky boy asked how much was in his bank account during a "timely" visit to Manchester's Moss Side to learn about a project tackling youth violence.
William was joined by the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham for the tour after the prince's Royal Foundation and the politician's office donated £50,000 each to bolster the work of the Manchester Peace Together Alliance. Mr Burnham said the royal visit to Moss Side, which followed a request made to William during a garden party last year, was "timely" and had "given this community the recognition it deserves".
As he met young people and volunteers at the Hideaway Youth Project, a lead partner of the Manchester Peace Together Alliance, he sat down with some schoolchildren working on a collage. Amir Hassan, 11, made William laugh when he asked him "How much do you have in your bank account?" and the schoolboy said afterwards the future king had quipped he "didn't know".
The heir to the throne said he "didn't know" how much was in his account (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)The future King was asked whether he wanted to join the art project, where the children were cutting out hairstyles they thought were empowering and positive,. He replied "I'm literally the last person you should ask. My hair is disappearing."
The prince also briefly joined a game of pool and produced groans from the watching guests when he twice failed to pot a yellow ball. The £100,000 of funding will be used to create an employment, skills and training programme for young people at risk of violence, a first for the alliance, a community-led initiative combating the underlying causes of youth violence with targeted mentoring and activities.
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He was visiting a multi-service youth hub (Getty Images)The three-year project will see the alliance working with the private sector for the first time, which has committed to providing work shadowing, apprenticeships and employment for young people. Describing the benefits of the project, Mr Burnham said: "The city is succeeding in many ways. The community is still strong, what we haven't got yet are the paths for people so that they can see the opportunities out there and then get that support.
"Be it educational support, or personal support to make their way towards taking up those opportunities. And for me, this is absolutely about the next chapter of Greater Manchester."
William also met some mothers who had lost children to violence, including Audrey Preston, 57, whose 21-year-old son was killed three years ago. She said: "I think it's important he came into Moss Side to listen to our stories. When I was told he was coming I thought 'wow, why would he want to come and listen to me?'.
"Lots of kids get murdered in this area and nobody cares really about the families, we're just left to our own devices, so it's good he came, good for the community." William's Royal Foundation will also provide £25,000 in funding to the Hideaway Youth Project to cover the cost of much-needed IT equipment and the refurbishment of a recording studio.