The Prince and Princess of Wales have made an emotional return to Southport, UK, on Tuesday, in honour of the three young girls killed during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class over a year ago.
Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Bebe King, 6 were all murdered during a knife attack in July last year.
Eight other children and two adults were also injured during the attack, including dance teacher Leanne Lucas, who was stabbed in the neck, back and arm as she tried to protect the children.
Prince William and Princess Kate paid tribute to the young girls with a heartfelt speech at the schools where two of the girls went, telling the students in attendance to “be brave, be joyful and be kind”.
In a video shared to their Instagram, the royal couple wrote: “To everyone in the Southport community affected by the incident last year, you will never be forgotten – and the legacy of love and kindness built here will continue to bring people together for years to come and honour the memories of Bebe, Alice and Elsie.”
The Prince and Princess of Wales, both wore pink – a colour used to honour the memory of the children – and handmade friendship bracelets made by Bebe King’s mother, with Bebe’s name on it.
The Princess was also given a small bouquet of flowers by Elsie’s parents, with a silver fabric butterfly on it, with Elsie’s teacher telling the princess that “Elsie was part of the day as well”.
The royal couple spoke with teachers and students at Farnborough Road Infant and Junior School and Churchtown Primary School.
The pair then saw an art project helping fellow children deal with the grief for their friends.
“I’m very impressed with all of you and all the hard work you’re doing,” the Princess told the children.
“What a fantastic thing to learn to raise money to help other people. Keep up your hard work.”
A playground was also built in memory of the children at Churchtown Primary School, where Alice and Bebe were students, with Prince William describing it as a “symbol of how the community have come together to create such a positive space”.
“The tragic events that unfolded in this town last year still remain difficult to comprehend,” he continued.
He then shared a heartwarming message to the girls’ parents, saying: “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.”
17-year-old Axel Muganwa Rudakubana was identified as the attacker, while courts would not normally publicly name the offender due to the fact that he is still a minor, they made an exception to quash the riots that were occurring all over the UK at the time.
Images: Instagram
