BREAKING: Prince William and Kate Middleton pay emotional Southport visit and meet traumatised families

Prince William and Princess Kate have travelled to Southport for an emotional visit as they continue to show their support for the grief-stricken community after the deadly attack in 2024 that claimed the lives of three young girls.

On July 29 2024, Alice da Silva Aguiar, Bebe King and Elsie Dot Stancombe were tragically killed during a knife attack at a dance class in the town.

Today, the Prince and Princess of Wales will meet with the families of the three girls, and speak with locals about how the tragedy has impacted the tight-knit community. They will also meet with emergency responders who were first on the scene during the attack.

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This is the second time William and Kate have met with the families, after previously visiting in October 2024 to show their support and hear how locals came together following the devastating attack.

They spent time with the bereaved families of the three children who lost their lives and the dance teacher who was present when the attack happened.

They then met with emergency responders who were involved in the attack at a local community centre to hear about their experiences and speak to mental health practitioners who have been working to deliver long term support to the blue light community in Southport.

Six-year-old Bebe King, nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar, and seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe were killed last year when Axel Rudakubana launched his knife attack on the Taylor Swift-themed dance class.

In January, 19-year-old Rudakubana was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court to a minimum of 52 years in jail for the "sadistic" murders of the three young girls, with judge Mr Justice Goose describing his crimes as "shocking" and "pure evil".

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