KATE has joined William in a surprise appearance to meet victims of the Southport attack.
Bebe King, six, was killed along with Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the Merseyside town on July 29 – while many others were injured.
Kate has visited Southport as she returns to royal duties[/caption]
She was all smiles during the outing[/caption]
It is the first time she has joined William on an engagement for six months[/caption]
Kate and William sitting down with emergency responders and mental health practitioners[/caption]
During the visit, Their Royal Highnesses met privately with the families of the three children who tragically lost their lives and a dance teacher who was present when the attack happened.
They also met with the fire, ambulance, air ambulance and police services at the Southport Community Centre.
The Prince and Princess heard about their experiences of
responding to the attack and the impact it has had on their mental health.
They then met mental health practitioners who have been working to deliver long term support to the blue light community following the attack.
It comes after Kate last month announced she is now “cancer free”.
It is her first public engagement with William since her diagnosis over six months ago.
The Sun understands the Prince of Wales was initially supposed to attend the visit alone.
The Princess, who revealed her diagnosis in March, released a video in September that showed her playing with Prince William, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis in Norfolk.
Today’s visit is part of her gradual return and she has other light engagements lined up, before hopefully joining her family on Remembrance Sunday.
SICKENING ATTACK
Eight children and two adults were also seriously injured in the knife rampage.
Axel Muganwa Rudakubana, 17, has since been charged with three murders and 10 counts of attempted murder, and awaits trial.
Yoga dance teacher Leanne Lucas suffered stab injuries to the arms, neck and back in a bid to protect the children.
Her colleague Heidi Liddle, meanwhile, escaped uninjured after bravely locking some of the children inside a toilet.
Jonathan Hayes was stabbed in the leg as he bravely tried to fend off the attacker after running into the class when he heard screams.
Terrified witnesses described the rampage as a “horror film” as the teen allegedly stabbed children at random.
The attack sparked riots across the country following alt-right groups and supporters spreading misinformation about the suspect being an illegal immigrant.
Dozens of people were convicted in relation to the unrest.
In the aftermath of the incident, the National Police and Wellbeing Service set up a fundraiser to help those who were involved in the immediate response.
It was supported by The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales and the Blue Light Card Foundation who made donations to help fast track psychological and physical rehab for police and ambulance personnel involved in the attack and the subsequent riots.
Ensuring emergency responders receive long-term mental health support following traumatic events is a cause close to the heart of The Prince of Wales, given his first-hand experience as an emergency
responder while serving as a pilot with RAF search and rescue and East Anglian Air Ambulance.
Popstar Swift met some of the survivors the month after the rampage, inviting the children and their families to her Wembley gigs for the Eras Tour.
She was pictured hugging some of the starstruck youngsters.
Also in August, King Charles also met survivors and saw for himself the heartbreaking tributes during a visit to the town.
The monarch, 75, broke off his summer holiday to express his condolences.
One member of the public gave him three cheers and another shouted “thank you for coming” as he greeted the crowds.
After spending around half an hour with the survivors and their families, he signed a book of condolence that was opened shortly after the attack.
In it, he used his own fountain pen to write his name and the date, adding “In deepest sympathy.”
Timeline of Kate’s health battle & recovery
Jan 16: Kate is admitted to the London Clinic for abdominal surgery
Jan 17: Kensington Palace announce the princess underwent surgery
Jan 18: William spends time at Kate’s bedside
Jan 23: The princess’ hospital stay passes one week
Jan 29: Kate leaves hospital
Feb 27: Prince William pulls out of service last-minute due to ‘personal matter’, sparking wave of unfounded conspiracy theories about Kate’s health
Mar 4: Princess pictured in the car with mum Carole on the Windsor estate
Mar 10: Royal posts a sweet snap of her and the kids for Mother’s Day – then fans started spotting flaws, and massive agencies put out ‘kill notice’ on photo
Mar 11: Kate admits she edited photo, and is snapped in car with William
Mar 16: Royal fans spot the princess at farm shop near Windsor
Mar 17: Onlookers see Kate watching her youngsters playing sport
Mar 18: The Sun exclusively published video of Kate and Wills from two days prior
Mar 22: Kate bravely reveals in an emotional video that she was given a shock cancer diagnosis
April 29: Kate and William mark 13th anniversary releasing unseen wedding photos
June 8: Kate does not attend Colonel’s Review but letter she penned to Irish Guards reveals she said: “I do hope that I am able to represent you all once again very soon”
June 14: Kensington Palace announces the princess will attend the King’s Birthday Parade
June 15: Kate beams as she joins her family at the annual Trooping the Colour event
July 14: The royal attends Wimbledon with sister Pippa and Princess Charlotte to hand out trophies to players
July 15: Kate shares a touching photo of Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis watching England in the Euro 2024 final
August 11: She joins a bearded Prince William in a video to congratulate Team GB in the Olympics
September 9: Kate reveals her treatment for cancer has finished
Floral tributes at the scene of the horror in Southport[/caption]
Six-year-old Bebe King died in the horror attack in Southport[/caption]
Elsie Dot Stancomb, seven, was also stabbed to death[/caption]
Nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar died in the early hours of the following morning[/caption]
The monarch previously met survivors of the mass stabbing[/caption]
Taylor Swift also met families caught up in the attack[/caption]
