The families affected by the tragic stabbing in Southport continue to receive support from Princess Kate. As reported by The Sun on Friday, Nov. 22, the Princess of Wales has personally invited the child survivors of the deadly attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class to attend her Christmas carol concert in December.
The event will take place at Westminster Abbey on Dec. 6, marking Kate Middleton’s first Together at Christmas concert since she completed preventive chemotherapy for an undisclosed cancer.
Kate and William’s ongoing support for victims and first responders
A source shared with the publication that the royal family has been a strong pillar of support for the victims’ families. The King previously met with the survivors, and Kate, alongside Prince William, took time to meet with them privately last month. “Now, she has personally made sure everyone is invited to her concert, which will carry even more importance for her this year,” the source explained.
In July, a 17-year-old boy launched a deadly stabbing spree during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class for children aged 6 to 11. The attack claimed the lives of three young children—Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9—and left eight others injured.
The event left Taylor Swift deeply shocked, and she expressed her condolences to those affected, writing on social media at the time, “The horror of yesterday’s attack in Southport is washing over me continuously. These were just little kids at a dance class.” During her “Eras Tour” in the U.K. that August, Swift also invited survivors to meet her backstage at her Wembley concert.
Following the attack, the Prince and Princess of Wales also expressed their sorrow and solidarity with the victims on social media, noting that, as parents themselves, they could not “begin to imagine” the pain the families were going through. “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,” they wrote.
In October, Kate and William visited the families of the victims and the dance instructor, Leanne Lucas, who was injured while attempting to protect her students. They also met with first responders, focusing on the mental health support for emergency services personnel.
Kensington Palace later released a statement explaining that mental health support for emergency responders was an issue close to Prince William’s heart, given his past experience as an emergency responder with RAF search and rescue and East Anglian Air Ambulance.
A source told The Sun in reference to Princess Kate’s recent invitation, “The families have met the King, met Taylor Swift, and now this wonderful concert. But it is all unbearably tinged with the trauma they are still dealing with.”
