Prince William 'almost run over' by truck as he slept out

Prince William, the future king of Britian, was almost run over by a road sweeper truck as he spent a night sleeping on the streets of London in freezing temperatures to highlight the plight of the homeless.

William, who is a patron of the charity Centrepoint for the homeless, said he could not imagine what it must be like for those who sleep out night after night.

"I cannot, after one night, even begin to imagine what it must be like to sleep rough on London's streets night after night," William, who is next in line for the throne after his father Prince Charles, said.

Seyi Obakin, chief executive of the charity for the homeless who also spent the night outdoors with the the 27-year-old prince, said the "hairiest moment", came when they were almost run over by a road sweeper.

"One of the hairiest moments came when we were almost run over by a road sweeper which simply didn't see our small group huddled together, which just goes to show how vulnerable rough sleepers are," Obakin said.

The prince's mother, princess Diana — who died in a Paris car crash in 1997 — also supported Centrepoint. 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," the prince said.

Obakin, the prince, and Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, his private secretary, made their beds on cardboard boxes.

"We took as many precautions as possible but there was no shielding from the bitter cold." Obakin said.