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Prince William was reportedly “frustrated” at the UK’s handling of evacuating people from Afghanistan.
Prince William met with refugees last month
The Duke of Cambridge met with a group of refugees last month at a hotel where they are being temporarily houses and is said to have expressed his concern that not enough men, women and children were offered assistance to flee the Taliban.
One of the refugees told The Times newspaper: “He said he was frustrated at the withdrawal effort in August. He said he wished we could have brought more people to the UK.”
And the 39-year-old prince – who has three children with wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge – is also said to have admitted he was worried about the length of time it has been taking to find housing for refugees.
Another member of the group said: “He asked us: ‘Why is it taking so long to get into permanent homes?’”
William told those he met that they “couldn’t be more welcome” in the UK.
Around 15,000 Afghans were brought to the UK in August following the withdrawal of US troops and the subsequent takeover by the Taliban, but it is believed as many as 12,000 are still temporarily staying in hotels, with around 4,000 of those said to be children.
Victoria Atkins, the minister for Afghan resettlement, recently called for local councils to do more to help.
She said: “More local authorities must come forward and do their bit in the national effort to help those looking to rebuild their lives here. That is why we have a generous funding deal for councils to offer support to Afghan families over three years.”
A government spokesperson insisted they are “proud” of their efforts so far.
They said: “We helped over 15,000 people to safety from Afghanistan, and are proud to have provided homes for more than 4,000 Afghan evacuees, with over 300 local authorities pledging their support so far.
“We will continue to work in partnership with local authorities and the private rented sector to secure permanent homes for Afghan families, rightly taking the appropriate time and effort to find families homes that suit their needs and offer long-term security.
“The UK is taking a leading role in the international response to supporting at-risk Afghan citizens.”
