Ed Sheeran used to be homeless, and slept outside Buckingham Palace for a couple of nights to keep himself warm.
I didn't have anywhere to live for much of 2008 and the whole of 2009 and 2010, but somehow I made it work. I knew where I could get a bed at a certain time of night and I knew who I could call at any time to get a floor to sleep on. Being sociable helped. Drinking helped.
He spent much of his time crashing on friends' sofas rather than on the streets. Although he said he spent a couple of nights sleeping outside Queen Elizabeth II's residence.
There was an arch outside Buckingham Palace that has a heating duct and I spent a couple of nights there. That's where I wrote the song 'Homeless' and the lines 'It's not a homeless night for me, I'm just home less than I'd like to be.'
I'd go out and play a gig, wait until 5am, when the underground opened, sleep on the Circle Line until 12, go to a session – and then repeat. It wasn't that bad. It's not like I was sleeping rough on the cold streets. ..."I didn't have the best personal hygiene at that point because I didn't get a chance to shower. It was just: sleep on the train, session, sweat on stage, drink, sleep on the train.
But he's come a long way since then. Sheeran returned to Buckingham Palace in 2012 to perform in front of the Queen herself as part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
