Prince William and Kate Visit Southport to Honor Victims of Tragic Knife Attack

Britain’s Prince William and his wife Kate paid a visit to Southport on Tuesday to express solidarity with the local community still grieving after the tragic knife attack last summer. The incident, which occurred at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event, resulted in the deaths of three young girls and left several others seriously injured.

The royal couple met privately with the parents of the victims—Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, 9—marking their second visit to the town within a year. Accompanied by a visit to a newly established memorial playground at a local school, the couple spoke with educators and students about the ongoing emotional impact and recovery efforts.

Prince William addressed the families directly, saying, "To Alex and Sergio, Lauren and Ben, Jenni and David – you are parents united in grief. You have faced such horror – but from that you move forward with grace and fortitude – creating the most remarkable legacies for your girls. We will always be here to support you." He also reassured the wider community, "To everyone impacted on that day, you will never be forgotten."

Following the attack, which left ten other children seriously harmed, misinformation rapidly circulated on social media falsely identifying the attacker as a Muslim asylum seeker. This fueled violent confrontations between local protestors and police, as well as an attempted assault on the town’s mosque, unrest that extended beyond Southport.

Currently, a public inquiry is underway investigating how the teenage assailant, despite repeated interactions with public authorities and referrals to a counter-radicalisation program, was not more effectively monitored or prevented from carrying out the attack.