The Princess of Wales has made an emotional pilgrimage with her husband to Southport to comfort the families of the three girls who lost their lives in July&#8217;s knife attack tragedy.
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In her most significant public engagement to date this year, Catherine, 42, joined Prince William to meet with the families of Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine.
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They also spent time with dance teacher Leanne Lucas, 35, who was seriously injured as she shielded youngsters as they were attacked by a knifeman during a Taylor Swift-themed summer holiday class.
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Afterwards the couple spoke to emergency responders who attended and helped on the day, with the Princess hailing them &#8216;true heroes&#8217;, while William called them &#8216;true professionals&#8217;.
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In an emotional post following their visit, the couple pledged that they &#8216;continue to stand with everyone in Southport.&#8217;
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They said: &#8216;Meeting the community today has been a powerful reminder of the importance of supporting one another in the wake of unimaginable tragedy. You will remain in our thoughts and prayers.&#8217;
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Prince William had promised the families and local community he would visit as soon as possible and his visit has long been scheduled in for today.
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<figure style="width: 634px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/10/10/15/90701183-13946085-image-a-81_1728572132715.jpg" width="634" height="951" data-gallery-handler-attached="true" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">The trip was the first public engagement since the Princess of Wales announced she had completed her chemotherapy treatment</figcaption></figure>
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<figure style="width: 634px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/10/10/15/90700197-13946085-image-a-70_1728571025317.jpg" width="634" height="731" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">The royal pair also spent time with dance teacher Leanne Lucas, 35, who was seriously injured as she shielded youngsters (Prince William and Princess Kate are pictured on Thursday)</figcaption></figure>
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<figure style="width: 634px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/10/10/17/90706543-13946085-image-a-1_1728578132957.jpg" width="634" height="692" data-gallery-handler-attached="true" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">In an emotional post following their visit, the couple pledged that they &#8216;continue to stand with everyone in Southport&#8217;</figcaption></figure>
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<figure style="width: 634px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/10/10/15/88716761-13946085-It_comes_after_a_fatal_stabbing_attack_on_a_Taylor_Swift_themed_-a-51_1728569899282.jpg" width="634" height="793" data-gallery-handler-attached="true" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Three girls were 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ed at the Taylor Swift-themed dance class, including Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven (pictured)</figcaption></figure>
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<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/10/10/15/88716781-13946085-Bebe_King_six_was_also_killed_in_the_horror_attack_in_Southport_-a-80_1728571842776.jpg" width="306" height="621" data-gallery-handler-attached="true" /><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/10/10/15/88716795-13946085-Alice_Aguiar_nine_died_in_the_early_hours_of_the_morning_after_b-m-79_1728571829247.jpg" width="306" height="621" data-gallery-handler-attached="true" />
Bebe King (left), six, was also 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ed in the horror attack in Southport in July, alongside Alice Aguiar, nine (pictured right)
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But the decision by his wife to join him was more recent. It is understood that she wanted to &#8216;show her support, empathy and compassion to the local community&#8217;.
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At the time of the incident the couple shared a personal message of shock and sympathy for those affected and, like her husband, the princess has kept a keen eye on events since.
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In a deeply personal statement released in the wake of the attack, the Princess wrote: &#8216;As parents, we cannot begin to imagine what the families, friends and loved ones of those 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ed and injured in Southport today are going through.&#8217;
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It is the first public engagement for the princess since she announced last month that she had complete treatment for cancer and would undertake a carefully calibrated return to public duties.
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Apart from a small media contingency, the visit was kept deliberately low key as both the prince and princess wanted it to remain as discreet as possible out of respect to those involved.
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Their meeting with the victims&#8217; families was held completely in private and not announced publicly until they had left.
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The prince and princess spent half an hour in private with each of the girls&#8217; families.
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No further details will be given out of respect for their ongoing grief.
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The couple then walked from their last meeting, with dancer teacher Leanne Lucas, to the nearby community centre to speak to the first responders.
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They were met by Peter Oliver, Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Merseyside at Southport Community Centre.
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William was dressed in jacket and tie while Catherine wore a brown coat and heels and looked visibly moved as they spoke, gesturing with her hands.
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However, the couple then went onto meet with emergency responders who were involved in the aftermath of the attack at a local community centre to hear about their experiences and speak to mental health practitioners who have been working to deliver long term support to the blue light community in Southport.
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<figure style="width: 634px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/10/10/15/90701173-13946085-image-a-82_1728572143659.jpg" width="634" height="423" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Kate and Prince William spoke with survivors as well as emergency services involved in the dealing with the aftermath of the attack</figcaption></figure>
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<figure style="width: 634px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/10/10/15/90701167-13946085-image-a-83_1728572150269.jpg" width="634" height="423" data-gallery-handler-attached="true" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">The Prince and Princess of Wales meet a critical care paramedic from the Air Ambulance during a visit to Southport Community Centre</figcaption></figure>
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<figure style="width: 634px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/10/10/16/90701169-13946085-image-a-92_1728572452944.jpg" width="634" height="951" data-gallery-handler-attached="true" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">The Princess appeared emotional while talking with one critical care paramedic today</figcaption></figure>
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<figure style="width: 634px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/10/10/15/90701157-13946085-image-a-84_1728572159187.jpg" width="634" height="423" data-gallery-handler-attached="true" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Later the royal couple had a sit down meeting with other members of the emergency services</figcaption></figure>
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<figure style="width: 634px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/10/10/16/90702203-13946085-image-a-96_1728573210177.jpg" width="634" height="423" data-gallery-handler-attached="true" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Pictured is the royal couple speaking with emergency workers who were among those to respond to the tragedy in July</figcaption></figure>
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During a recent visit, Princess Kate addressed the families of the three girls 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ed in a tragic attack, sharing insights on how they are coping. She noted, &#8220;They&#8217;re OK. They&#8217;re managing it differently. All the families are so different&#8230; but they&#8217;re getting support from families and officers.&#8221;
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Kate emphasized the importance of community support, stating, &#8220;Being able to speak to different people about their experiences is massively helpful.&#8221; She expressed gratitude on behalf of the families for the assistance provided by emergency personnel, saying, &#8220;I can&#8217;t underestimate how grateful they all are for the support you provided on the day. On behalf of them, thank you.&#8221;
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Prince William praised the emergency workers, referring to them as &#8220;heroes&#8221; and urged them to prioritize their well-being, saying, &#8220;Please take your time, don&#8217;t rush back to work.&#8221; He also acknowledged the improvements in support for first responders but highlighted that &#8220;there are still gaps.&#8221;
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The couple shared a light moment during the conversation, with William encouraging honesty about their needs, prompting laughter among the group. Kate added, &#8220;Just sit and reflect,&#8221; emphasizing the importance of processing their experiences.
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As they concluded their visit, the couple shook hands with the emergency workers, with Kate resting a hand on William&#8217;s back as they engaged with a member of the air ambulance crew. William reassured them, noting the challenges ahead but affirming that they would get through it together.
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<figure style="width: 634px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/10/10/16/90701175-13946085-image-a-91_1728572439709.jpg" width="634" height="953" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">The Princess of Wales made the surprise visit as she slowly makes a return to public engagements following her cancer treatment</figcaption></figure>
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<figure style="width: 634px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/10/10/16/90703349-13946085-image-a-99_1728574561323.jpg" width="634" height="423" data-gallery-handler-attached="true" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">The Princess of Wales hailed the emergency workers &#8216;true heroes&#8217; while William praised them as being &#8216;true professionals&#8217; during an intimate meeting in Southport on Thursday</figcaption></figure>
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He said: &#8216;The first thing we thought about was actually how on earth you guys are going to handle having seen what you&#8217;ve seen. So, please take your time, don&#8217;t rush back to work, do whatever you need to, talk about it, give your superiors a hard time if they not letting you have that time to decompress because it&#8217;s so important you have those moments.&#8217;
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The couple posted on social media that the visit had been a ‘powerful’ reminder of the need to support one another ‘in the wake of unimaginable tragedy’.
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Chief fire officer for Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service Phil Garrigan said he had a &#8216;really lovely fleeting conversation&#8217; with William and Kate after they had spoken to the group of emergency personnel.
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He said: &#8216;The Princess of Wales broke off and came back into the building to give a hug to the people who responded because she could see the emotion in them and could see it was difficult for them to relay their feelings and to say how impactful events have been.
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&#8216;I think that just shows a really caring side and is very, very touching for them.&#8217;
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It is understood that it was important to them to go now, three months later, to show the people of Southport that they have not been forgotten and they&#8217;ll continue to stand by the community today and in the future.
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William and Catherine&#8217;s Royal Foundation made a donation to the the National Police and Wellbeing Service&#8217;s fundraiser to help fast track psychological and physical rehabilitation for police and ambulance personnel who were involved in the attack and the subsequent riots.
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Last month the Princess of Wales announced that she had completed a course of preventative chemotherapy after it emerged earlier this year that evidence of cancer had been found following abdominal surgery.
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Kensington Palace said she would embark on a slow and measured return to public duties, bearing in mind her continued recovery.
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Although she had held meetings in private and photographs of her hugging cancer patient Liz Hatton, 16, were released last week, today&#8217;s event is her first official public engagement since then.

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The Princess of Wales has made an emotional pilgrimage with her husband to Southport to comfort the families of the three girls who lost their lives in July’s knife attack tragedy