Traditionally people aren’t allowed to touch a Royal unless one offered their hand
Kate Middleton makes first official engagement with visit to Southport since saying she is “cancer-free”(Image: Iain Watts/Liverpool ECHO)
Kate Middleton broke royal protocol during a visit to Southport on Thursday. The Princess of Wales made a surprise visit with her husband to meet the bereaved families of the Southport stabbing victims.
The unannounced trip to Merseyside was William and Kate’s first official outing together since the princess completed her course of chemotherapy treatment in the summer. The couple privately met the families of Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, all fatally stabbed during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on July 29 in Southport, and the children’s dance teacher.
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After spending around 90 minutes with the families they walked the short distance to Southport Community Centre where they joined emergency responders involved in the attack to hear about their experiences and meet health practitioners supporting the “blue light” community in Southport.READ MORE: Kate Middleton makes Southport her first official engagement since finishing chemotherapyREAD MORE: Kate Middleton and Prince William meet bereaved Southport families and Leanne Lucas
Traditionally people aren’t allowed to touch a Royal unless one offered their hand. However, during today’s visit, Princess Kate hugged several of the emergency responders.
Chief fire officer for Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service Phil Garrigan said he had a “really lovely fleeting conversation” with William and Kate after they had spoken to the group of emergency personnel.
He said: “The Princess of Wales broke off and came back into the building to give a hug to the people who responded because she could see the emotion in them and could see it was difficult for them to relay their feelings and to say how impactful events have been.
“I think that just shows a really caring side and is very, very touching for them.”
