The Prince of Wales could be changing his look as his autumn schedule picks up pace

Prince William is back at work in London—with a new look!—after a summer getaway with Kate Middleton and their family.

On September 5, the 42-year-old Prince of Wales traveled to London to visit Homelessness: A New Lookexhibition at the Saatchi Gallery. The exhibition is produced in partnership with Eleven Eleven Foundation and Prince William’s Homewards campaign, launched in June 2023 by The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales, which aims to end homelessness once and for all.

In a surprise style move, Prince William stepped out with a summer beard, sporting a facial hairdo for the second time in recent weeks. While the Prince of Wales is known for usually keeping his beard clean-shaven, he appeared with a beard for the first time in eight years in an August 11 video he and Duchess Kate posted to congratulate Team GB on their success at the 2024 Paris Olympics. William appeared to shave a few weeks later and was beardless as he rode with Kate to Crathie Kirk church near Balmoral Castle in Scotland on August 25.

William’s latest engagement marks his return to more public appearances after a short summer break with his wife and children, Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6. In an informal tradition with Queen Elizabeth, the Prince and Princess of Wales traditionally step back from the limelight from late July to August to rest and recharge. William’s last official event was the UEFA European Championship with Prince George in Germany on July 14, in his capacity as president of the Football Association, the governing body of English football.

Homelessness: A New Look highlights the complexity of homelessness in the UK and invites the public to better understand the stories of those affected by the issue by sharing their experiences through art. The gallery enables the Prince of Wales to highlight positive stories that show “this is a problem that can be prevented and ended”, his spokesman previously said.

A statement from Kensington Palace highlighted that the main aim of Homewards is to “change the narrative and challenge negative perceptions and stereotypes around homelessness” and the strength of the gallery underlines this aim.

Related: The Creative Way Prince William Is Bringing His Mission to Help the Homeless to a New Audience

The Prince of Wales is due to meet artists whose work is featured in the exhibition, which is divided into three sections: Invisible Words, Reframed and Open Doors. He will also meet people whose life experiences have inspired some of the work. Contributing artists include Marc Quinn, Dave Tovey, Simone Brewster, Opake and poet Surfing Sofas.

William will also hear from renowned British photographer Rankin, who worked on the exhibition (and has previously photographed Queen Elizabeth), before spending time with children from Creative Kids, a charity that took part in one of the workshops, creating art for the Open Doors presentation.

This section features doors created by children and young people from six of Homewards’ main locations across the UK – Aberdeen, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Lambeth, Newport, Northern Ireland and Sheffield – where the organisation works to make homelessness rare, short-term and non-recurring.

Related: Prince William’s Another Solo Visit to Wales Revealed — And It’s Coming Soon

Homelessness: A New Look It opened on August 7 and Prince William visited before the exhibition closed on September 20. The Prince of Wales was up to date with the artwork and the people behind the moving pieces and was looking forward to seeing them in person, a royal source said.

“He understands that changing the way we talk about this issue is important,” Mick Clarke, CEO of The Passage, previously told PEOPLE. The Passage is a charity that helps homeless people in London and is supported by Prince William, as was his late mother, Princess Diana.

“Homewards is changing the narrative and it shouldn’t be something we manage but something we prevent,” Clarke said. He added: “There are so many other areas and issues he could have chosen that are easier to address or more digestible… We’re just very happy he’s leading from the front.”

Since opening on August 7th Homelessness: A New Look More than 25,000 people visited, Prince William’s office said on September 5, with the majority of them aged between 25 and 34. Donations from visitors generated more than $6,600, which is being split equally between Centrepoint and The Passage, two charities that help the homeless. Prince William is patron of both organisations.

Pim Gregory, executive director of homelessness at The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales, tells PEOPLE he is thrilled with the impact the initiative has had Homelessness: A New Look had.

“The most enjoyable thing is the visitor experience,” Gregory says. “The 25,000 people we’ve had since we opened are way more than we expected. And the demographic of visitors is young, and a lot of people who don’t know us or the subject matter are there for the art, so we’re reaching a different audience.”

The exhibition aims to showcase the different experiences and perspectives of people who have experienced homelessness or are still experiencing it, breaking stereotypes and providing a picture of the problem that is closer to reality – and showing how wide its reach is.

“The whole point is to reframe the problem of homelessness, and the stories in the play show that,” Gregory says. “Visitors come away seeing that homelessness is a social problem. They understand that it can happen to anyone. And that there’s optimism that something can be done.”

Homelessness: A New Look is part of a series of strategic awareness initiatives that includes a two-part documentary, Prince William: We Can End Homelessnessscheduled for release this autumn, featuring the Prince of Wales and his work on the Homewards initiative.

“We still have a long way to go, and today we’re going to create another level of interest,” Gregory says. “This is all part of showing that it’s possible to end homelessness and giving hope that it’s possible.”

He adds: “If people get help at the right time, it can put them on a completely different path.”

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Prince William and Duchess Kate, who is continuing her cancer treatment, were recently spotted heading to church near Balmoral Castle in Scotland on Aug. 25, during the royal family’s historic summer stay at the private royal residence set on 50,000 acres of land.

The Princess of Wales shared the news of her health in March and asked for “time, space and privacy while I complete my treatment.” No date has been set for her return to work, and a palace source previously told PEOPLE that Balmoral would be restorative for her.

“She won’t have to be the center of attention,” the source said. “Being with her family and being herself will give her energy. There will be plenty of time to focus on her recovery.”

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