Princess Catherine unexpectedly joined Prince William for her first public appearance since concluding her cancer treatment — and it was for a very meaningful gathering!
On Thursday, World Mental Health Day, the Prince and Princess of Wales traveled to Southport, England, to the site of that horrible tragedy over the summer. Back in July three children were killed and 10 others were injured during a mass stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed yoga and dance class. Per People, it was not announced that Kate Middleton would be joining her husband, but it seems she was eager to be by his side as they visited with first responders who showed up at the scene of the attack.
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According to People, the couple wanted to visit the community to show them they have not been forgotten and will continue to receive the royals’ support. The royals are said to have had private meetings with the families of the three girls who were killed as well as the dance teacher who witnessed the attack. According to DailyMail.com‘s royal expert Rebecca English on X (Twitter), the couple spent about 30 minutes with each family. That must have been so emotional!
The prince and princess have now left. They spent half an hour with each of the young victims’ families followed by a lengthy meeting with emergency responders. pic.twitter.com/ybheX6HpjQ
— Rebecca English (@RE_DailyMail) October 10, 2024
They also gathered for a lengthy chat at the Southport Community Centre with fire, ambulance, air ambulance, and police service members to hear about the first responders’ experience of handling the attack — including how their mental health was impacted. According to The Sun, William could be heard encouraging them to take time off, saying:
“The first thing we thought about was actually how on earth you guys are going to handle having seen what you’ve seen. So please take your time, don’t rush back to work, do whatever you need to, talk about it, give your superiors a hard time if they are not letting you have that time to decompress, because it’s so important you have those moments.”
He added:
“You’re all heroes. Please make sure you look after yourselves, please take your time, don’t rush back to work… you are all true professionals.”
A reporter for the outlet also captured a video of the couple sitting with several of those “heroes,” in which the mother of three wondered how they could help make conditions for first responders better, pointing out:
“Support in general has really improved for first responders across the board, but there are still gaps.”
New: The Princess of Wales has today joined Prince William in Southport in a show of support following the summer’s knife attack which killed 3 children. They met bereaved families in private and here they are speaking to 999 heroes. pic.twitter.com/Ccbm9nbTa9
— Matt Wilkinson (@MattSunRoyal) October 10, 2024
When asked how the families of the deceased children are doing, Kate shared per The Sun:
“They’re OK. They’re managing it differently. All the families are so different. Individually too they are managing it and processing this tragic event in very different ways but they’re getting support from families and officers and things like that. […] I can’t underestimate how grateful they all are for the support you provided on the day. On behalf of them, thank you.”
Phil Garrigan, Merseyside chief fire officer, also reflected on her personal attention to each responder, telling the outlet:
“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. […] I think that just shows a really caring side and is very touching for them.”
Very kind. While sharing a photo of their meeting with the first responders, William and Kate wrote on their X (Twitter) page:
“We continue to stand with everyone in Southport. 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. W & C”
We continue to stand with everyone in Southport. 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. W & C pic.twitter.com/CP2DXJaqW2
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) October 10, 2024
It’s nice to see Kate out and about again after so much time out of the spotlight! Despite the difficult subject matter of this engagement, she seems to be doing really well following all her treatment! What a relief! Seems like we will start to see even more of her throughout the rest of the year. And good thing, too, she’s so wonderful at making people feel seen and supported.
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