King Charles III privately hosted the families of the three young girls who died at a Taylor Swift-themed dance at his residence.
“His Majesty met with the bereaved families at Clarence House earlier today,” a press secretary for Charles, 75, told Us Weekly on Wednesday, August 21. Buckingham Palace has not released any more details of the meeting as it was a private event.
One day prior, the king visited Southport, England, on Tuesday, August 20, to spend time with the survivors of the July 29 attack. He also met with members of the local community and emergency staff who responded to the attack.
Swift, 34, addressed the incident after two adults and a total of nine children were injured in the attack last month, six of whom were in critical condition at the time. (Merseyside Police confirmed earlier this month that all of the injured children had been released from the hospital.)
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“The horror of yesterday’s attack in Southport is washing over me continuously, and I’m just completely in shock,” she wrote via her Instagram Story in July. “The loss of life and innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families and first responders. These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.”
A 17-year-old boy, whose name was not released to the public, was arrested and charged with the murders of Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Bebe King, 6. The teenager also was charged with 10 counts of attempted murder and possession of a bladed article.
Meanwhile, Charles’ show of support for the community left residents uplifted.
“He was referring to the community and how terrifying it must have been for us. How scary and terrifying it must have been for us and our mosque and our community,” Ibrahim Hussein, the imam of Southport’s mosque, said on Tuesday about Charles’ visit, according to The Telegraph. “For His Majesty to take time from his heavy schedule and visit a small town such as this means a lot to us.”
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John Hayes, a businessman who was injured in the attack, praised Charles for visiting, telling BBC News on Tuesday, “It was lovely to meet him. I found him quite engaging, quite easy to talk to.”
Charles traveled to Southport after his traditional holiday in Scotland. Shortly after the tragic stabbing incident took place, Charles released a statement along with Prince William and Princess Kate Middleton.
“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. We send our love, thoughts and prayers to all those involved in this horrid and heinous attack,” William and Kate, both 42, said in a statement last month. “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.”
