The Prince and Princess of Wales have returned to Southport to reaffirm their support for the community in the wake of the July 2024 knife attack at a children’s dance class.
Alice da Silva Aguiar, Bebe King and Elsie Dot Stancombe lost their lives, while dance teacher Leanne Lucas was critically injured in the attack, which targeted a Taylor-Swift themed yoga and dance workshop.
William and Kate are said to feel deeply for the bereaved families and the Southport community, and wished to return to show that support.
They met the parents of Elsie, 7, Bebe, 6, and Alice, 9, as they were welcomed on Tuesday by pupils at two schools which the girls attended.
Their visit began at Farnborough Road Infant and Junior School, where Elsie had been a pupil. They were greeted by 430 children from the infant school, where she had been due to start Year 3 last autumn, along with staff and parents, including Elsie’s parents, Jenni and David.
The royal couple were welcomed by Peter Oliver, Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Merseyside; June Burns, Mayor of Sefton; Marion Atkinson, leader of Sefton Council; and its CEO, Phillip Porter.
Jennie Sephton, head of the infant school where Elsie had been a pupil, and Adrian Antell, head of the junior school, then introduced the Prince and Princess to members of the school council—16 pupils from the junior school and 16 from the infant school.
Inside, William and Kate spoke with teachers about how the school had been affected by the tragedy and the support offered to pupils, staff and the wider community.
They also met privately with Elsie’s parents, Jenni and David, in the headteacher’s office. Along with Alice’s father, Sergio Aguiar, David ran the London Marathon in April in memory of their daughters, and the Prince and Princess contributed to their fundraising efforts.
Earlier this month, the inquiry into the Southport attack heard a statement from Jenni, who described Elsie as “our joy, our pride, our everything,” adding: “We used to say we had won the lottery, the luckiest parents in the world.”
She called her daughter a “dreamer” who “always had big ideas and the most beautiful imagination.”
At her funeral in August 2024, Elsie’s headteacher, Jennifer Sephton, described her as “such a caring and charismatic young lady who loved to please.”
Later William and Kate visited Churchtown Primary School, which Alice and Bebe attended, with the Royal couple shown around a new playground which was built in their memory after a fundraising campaign.
In a speech in front of the school's 700 pupils, William said: "This playground is a symbol of how the community have come together to create such a positive space for the pupils of this school, a symbol of remembrance and resilience, a testament that love will always overcome tragedy."
He said the teaching communities at the school and at Elsie's school, Farnborough Road, which they visited earlier in the day, had gone "above and beyond to help heal this incredible group of young people".
He added: "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."
Speaking afterwards, Bebe's mother Lauren, 42, said: "It meant everything. It was really special.
"I think we're really grateful anyway how Bebe's been honoured so much in this school, and seeing the prince and princess support that and be here has been just amazing."
William and Kate had private meetings with Mrs King and her husband Ben, 43, as well as Alice's parents, Sergio and Alexandra Aguiar, when they arrived at the school.
For the rest of the visit the couple wore friendship bracelets given to them by the Kings, which said Bebe's Hive, the name of the charity set up in her memory.
They spoke to Alice's classmates about artwork they had done which was inspired by their feelings, and were then shown around the playground.
After hearing the children, in year six of the school, speak about how the artwork reflected their emotions, Kate said: "It's very unusual for young people to be able to express bad and hard and difficult emotions like you've done, and actually doing it through art is really clever, but really expressive."
The Aguiars showed William and Kate the stage area, which had been built for students with a love of performing.
Mrs Aguiar, 34, said: "Prince William asked if that would be her favourite place and I said yes, she would have been there dancing away."
She said the visit had given pupils a "day they will never forget".
Mr Aguiar, 38, added: "It's so special to have them here to support us."
Mr and Mrs King showed them a wooden wigwam built in the playground which is named The Hive and has the words "Remember Bebe" on it.
The families have met the couple before and Mr and Mrs King said they were "really welcoming, really warm".
As he began his speech, on the playground stage, William laughed when the pupils responded in unison to his greeting of: "Good afternoon."
Before they left, the couple were presented with flowers by pupils George McGregor and Evelyn Hughes and the children sang a verse of the Heather Small song Proud.
Headteacher Jinnie Payne said the visit meant an "awful lot".
She said: "To stand there with their royal highnesses and see the children's faces, and staff, was really a special moment actually.
"The children's smiles, their amazement that their royal highnesses had actually spent time to come to our school - I think it's something we can talk about lots now and celebrate that achievement for the children."
She said the couple spoke to her about the different areas of the new playground, which includes a library and quiet spaces as well as a climbing area.
She said: "The princess commented on the creativity as well, how we'd brought the creativity out on to the playground through the murals, but giving the children space to do colouring and drawing while they're outside as well."
In their own statement following last July’s attack, William and Kate said: “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.”
