Kate and William make their first public appearance since completing cancer treatment

CNN
—

Britain’s Prince and Princess of Wales made a surprise visit to Southport, northwest England, on Thursday, where they met the bereaved families of three children killed in a knife attack in July.

The visit was the first public appearance for Catherine, known as Kate, since she finished her chemotherapy.

Baby King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, 9, were fatally stabbed while attending a Taylor Swift-style dance class in the city on July 29.

The royal couple met privately with the families of the three girls, as well as with the dance teacher who was present during the attack.

William and Kate – who have only made a handful of public appearances this year – also met emergency services personnel who responded to the scene in July, as well as mental health practitioners who have been supporting the ‘blue light’ community in recent months. since.

“I can’t understate how grateful they are [the families] “It’s all for the support you provided on the day,” Kate told respondents, according to the British news agency PA Media, during the deeply emotional sit-down. She then thanked the frontline staff on behalf of the families.

Meanwhile, William, the heir to the British throne, told the group they were “heroes” and urged them to “make sure you look after yourselves.”

He added: “Please take your time, and do not rush back to work.”

After the unexpected appearance in Southport, William and Kate spoke on social media about their “powerful” visit.

“We continue to stand with everyone in Southport. Today’s community gathering was a powerful reminder of the importance of supporting each other in the wake of an unimaginable tragedy. “You will remain in our thoughts and prayers,” the couple wrote in a post on X.

At the time of the knife attack, Welsh issued a statement on social media from their perspective as parents. “We cannot begin to imagine what the families, friends and loved ones of those killed and injured in Southport are going through today,” they said in July, before sending their “love, thoughts and prayers” and gratitude to emergency responders.

The couple also donated through their Royal Fundraising Foundation set up to provide psychological and physical rehabilitation for police and ambulance personnel involved in the attack and subsequent riots.

CNN has learned that the princess made the decision to join her husband on Thursday to show her support, compassion and compassion for the local community.

Kate, 42, was easing her way back into public life after announcing she had completed chemotherapy and was cancer-free in a video last month. She did not reveal the type of cancer she was being treated for.

The princess said that the past nine months have been full of challenges, but “however, I look forward to returning to work and making some additional public engagements in the coming months when I can.”

In recent weeks, it has held a number of meetings focused primarily on its work in its early years and its upcoming annual Christmas Carol Concert.

She also made a special visit to English National Ballet a few weeks ago for a matinee performance, and posted about the “moving and inspiring” performance on social media afterwards.

Wales isn’t the only royal family showing their support for the bereaved families and the Southport community. King Charles III made a similar visit to the region in August to meet those affected by the attack and thank frontline emergency workers.

This story has been updated.