Prince William, Princess Kate meet with families of victims of Taylor Swift dance class stabbing attack

Prince William and Catherine, the Princess of Wales, have made their first joint public engagement since Kate finished her chemotherapy treatment last month.

The pair met the bereaved parents of victims of a stabbing rampage in the seaside town of Southport on Thursday. William and Kate spent 90 minutes meeting privately with the families of Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, who were killed at the Taylor Swift-themed dance class on July 29. 

They also met with the teacher of the class and emergency workers.

Ten other people, including two adults and eight young girls, were wounded in the attack. 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana was arrested and has been charged with three counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder, according to CBS News partner BBC News. He is set to appear in court at the end of October.  

King Charles III and Taylor Swift have previously met with the families of the victims. 

Thursday’s engagement was planned as a solo visit for William, but Kate decided to join her husband as a show of support for the community. Photos show her shaking hands with a paramedic and looking emotional while addressing several people.

In September, Kate said she had completed chemotherapy treatment she was receiving for an unspecified type of cancer doctors discovered after an abdominal surgery in January. 

“As the summer comes to an end, I cannot tell you what a relief it is to have finally completed my chemotherapy treatment. The last nine months have been incredibly tough for us as a family. Life as you know it can change in an instant and we have had to find a way to navigate the stormy waters and road unknown,” Kate said in a video statement. 

During her cancer treatment, she made only a few public appearances, but she has been seen multiple times in in the last few weeks. 

On Sept. 22, she and Prince William accompanied King Charles and Queen Camilla to a church near the royal Balmoral estate in Scotland. 

In early October, Kate and William also met with a budding photographer who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Liz Hatton, 16, photographed the royals and received an emotional embrace from the princess. Kate said that Hatton had inspired her amid her own cancer treatment.