Princess Kate has been staying out of the public eye as she's recovered from her battle with cancer this year, but she surprised fans by joining Prince William for her first appearance since completing chemotherapy on Thursday, Oct. 10.
The couple met with families and emergency services personnel impacted by the tragic knife attack that killed three young girls during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, England this summer.
The Princess of Wales spoke with the families of Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, Bebe King, 6, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, who were murdered in the July incident. They also spoke with the girls’ dance teacher, Leanne Lucas, who was injured in the attack while she tried to protect her students.
With Thursday marking World Mental Health Day, the royal couple—who coordinated in burgundy outfits—took the time to meet with fire, ambulance and police services who responded to the attack. Joining them at the Southport Community Centre, Princess Kate and Prince William, who is an experienced emergency responder himself, discussed the impact the incident has had on their mental health.
The Southport community has been working together to provide mental health services to the personnel who responded to the attack, and the Waleses took time to speak with practitioners who have been giving that support since the July tragedy.
Per Kensington Palace, “Ensuring emergency responders receive long-term mental health support following traumatic events is a cause close to the heart of The Prince of Wales, given his first-hand experience as an emergency responder while serving as a pilot with RAF search and rescue and East Anglian Air Ambulance”
That being said, the couple's Royal Foundation supported a fundraiser that was set up by the National Police and Wellbeing Service to help those impacted by the attack and subsequent riots.
In July, the Prince and Princess of Wales expressed their shock over the incident, writing on social media, “As parents, we cannot begin to imagine what the families, friends and loved ones of those killed and injured in Southport today are going through.”
Thursday marks the Princess of Wales’s first public appearance since she attended the Wimbledon men’s finals with Princess Charlotte and sister Pippa Middleton in July. On Sept. 9, the royal couple announced a video announcing Kate had completed chemotherapy treatment and was "looking forward to being back at work and undertaking a few more public engagements in the coming months."
