Prince William and his wife, Catherine, the Princess of Wales, made their first joint public appearance since Kate completed chemotherapy, meeting with bereaved families of three young girls
who were murdered at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event in Southport earlier this year.
The couple visited Southport Community Centre on Thursday to speak privately with the families of the victims and a dance teacher who was present during the horrific attack. They also met with local emergency services personnel who had responded to the incident.
The town of Southport, a peaceful seaside community in northwest England, was thrust into the global spotlight on July 29 when three young girls were fatally stabbed and other children were seriously injured during the summer vacation event. In the days following the attack, rioting erupted, further escalating tensions in the town.
Kensington Palace released a statement on Thursday, saying: "Today, the Prince and Princess of Wales visited Southport to show support to the community and hear how local people have come together as the town recovers from the tragic knife attack that took place."
This was one of Kate’s first public engagements since finishing her course of preventative chemotherapy for cancer. The couple made a deliberate decision to visit the town to show solidarity with the families and the community, ensuring they knew they had not been forgotten.
Their visit follows an earlier one by King Charles in August, where he met with some of the surviving children and their families.
In the aftermath of the July attack, disinformation circulated on social media, falsely identifying the assailant as an Islamist migrant. This misinformation sparked violent clashes between protesters and police, with an attempted attack on Southport’s mosque. Authorities later confirmed that a 17-year-old has been charged with the murders.
The unrest led to days of rioting across the country, which police and government officials attributed to far-right agitators. Around 1,500 people were arrested, and nearly 400 individuals were jailed as authorities worked to restore order. Photo by Ian Jones. Wikimedia commons.