Kate Middleton reflects upon the 'importance of supporting one another' in the wake of 'tragedy' as she meets Southport community

Catherine, Princess of Wales reflected upon the "importance of supporting one another" in the wake of "tragedy" following a poignant visit to Southport.

The Princess of Wales has recently resumed her royal duties after completing her cancer treatment and on 10th October she joined Prince William in Southport for an incredibly moving engagement. The royal couple travelled to the Merseyside town where they met the families of the three young girls who were killed in the Southport knife attack in July, as well as members of the Emergency Services. According to The Telegraph , Kate and Prince William spent half an hour with each of the families of six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar.

The Prince and Princess of Wales are also understood to have met with their dance teacher Leanne Lucas, who was injured in the attack that was carried out at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class. After these private meetings Prince William and Kate then walked to the Southport Community Centre.

Here they spoke with emergency responders and mental health practitioners who had been offering support to those affected by July’s horrific attack. The Princess of Wales reportedly reflected that the experience must have taken "its toll" on the responders and shared how the families are coping.

"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," she declared. "I think being able to have opportunities to be able to speak to different people in the community about the experience and drawing that together and sharing their experience I think is massively helpful."

Kate added, "I can’t underestimate how grateful they all are for the support you provided on the day. On behalf of them, thank you."

The Chief Fire Officer for Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, Phil Garrigan, later disclosed that the Princess of Wales broke away from the engagement briefly to go inside and hug the crews whose mental health had been severely affected by what happened.

"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," he explained.

Following the engagement, which had initially been set to be a solo visit for the Prince of Wales, the couple shared a moving personal message on social media. In it, they described how meeting the community in Southport had given them a "powerful reminder".

They wrote, "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".

The Prince and Princess of Wales released an equally poignant statement in July, just hours after the attack in Southport. They expressed how "as parents" they could not begin to imagine what the "families, friends and loved ones of those killed and injured in Southport" were going through.

"We send our love, thoughts and prayers to all those involved in this horrid and heinous attack. Thank you also to the emergency responders who, despite being met with the most horrific scenes, demonstrated compassion and professionalism when your community needed you most," they declared.

It’s understood that the Princess of Wales wished to join Prince William for their recent visit to Southport to show her "support, empathy and compassion to the local community."