Prince William and Princess Catherine on Thursday attended their first joint public engagement since the Princess of Wales ended chemotherapy treatment, meeting the families of three young girls murdered at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event in Southport.
The town, a quiet seaside town in north-west England, drew a global spotlight on July 29 when the girls were stabbed to death and other children were seriously hurt in an attack on the summer vacation event. Anti-immigration riots broke out days later.
The Prince and Princess of Wales speak with emergency workers at Southport Community Centre on Thursday.Credit: Getty Images
On their visit on Thursday, William and Kate spoke privately with families of the victims, as well as to a dance teacher who was present at the time of the attack. They later met representatives from local emergency services who had responded to the incident.
It was the first public engagement Catherine has carried out since she began to slowly return to work. The engagement in Stockport follows her first public appearance – at a church service in Balmoral – in September.
“We continue to stand with everyone in Southport,” the pair said in a statement released by their office at Kensington Palace.
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“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.”
The visit echoes one made by William’s father King Charles who went to Southport in August, where he met some of the surviving children and their families.
Disinformation that was spread on social media in the aftermath of the July attack wrongly identified the assailant – a 17-year-old who was later charged – as an Islamist migrant and led to violent clashes between protesters and police in Southport, and an attempt to attack the town’s mosque.
