Renowned musician Ed Sheeran has recently disclosed that he experienced a period of homelessness lasting two and a half years, during which he resorted to sleeping rough near Buckingham Palace in London before rising to fame.

In his latest publication, A Visual Journey, Ed candidly shared about his time spent living on the streets.

“There was an arch outside Buckingham Palace that has a heating duct and I spent a couple of nights there.

I didn’t have anywhere to live for much of 2008 and the whole of 2009 and 2010, but somehow I made it work,” the Don’t singer confided.

Despite his challenging circumstances, Ed navigated through his situation by relying on temporary solutions.

“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 acknowledged.

Reflecting on those tough times, Ed admitted, “I spent a week catching up on sleep on Circle Line trains.

I’d go out and play a gig, wait until 5 am when the Underground opened, sleep on the Circle Line until 12, go to a session – and then repeat.

It wasn’t that bad.”

Furthermore, Ed disclosed that his experience while homeless served as the inspiration for his song Homeless.

“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’,” he shared.

Fast forward to 2012, Ed found himself back at Buckingham Palace, this time not as a homeless individual but as a performer at the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Concert, entertaining thousands