King to meet young survivors of fatal Southport knife attack

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

The King will sit down with survivors of the fatal Southport knife attack and their families during a visit to Merseyside.

Charles will travel to Southport later on Tuesday to hear, during the private meeting, the experiences of some of the young children who were attacked at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on July 29.

Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, were killed in the attack which was followed by rioting in Southport and across the country.

The disorder included looting with hotels housing asylum seekers also attacked before counter demonstrations appeared to quell the disturbances.

The violence, denounced as “far-right thuggery” by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, was sparked by false claims about the identity of a teenage suspect later charged with three counts of murder.

The head of state, who has been receiving treatment for cancer, is due to privately host bereaved families from the attack on Wednesday.

The family of the final child to be released from hospital earlier this month condemned the “disorder” and attacks on police officers, emphasising that “when the horrific events unfolded, our police officers were the first on the scene”.

After the private meeting at Southport Town Hall the King will chat to members of the Southport community who provided support in the aftermath of the attack.

Later, Charles will be welcomed by local politicians at Southport Community Fire Station and will hear from Merseyside’s police, fire and rescue and ambulance services about their roles during the disturbances, as well as meeting local groups including faith leaders.

The head of state has been engaging privately with the issues generated by the disorder which has seen hundreds arrested.

Following the Southport stabbings Charles, at his request, received daily briefings about the national situation when the disorder was at its height.

It is not known what issues the King has been focusing on but he is a long-term promoter of interfaith dialogue as a way to bring groups together and has championed community cohesion.

The violent disturbances left some Muslim communities fearful following the targeting of mosques in a few areas.

During separate telephone calls earlier this month with the Prime Minister and senior police chiefs, the King called for unity and praised the “community spirit” that countered the riots and offered his “heartfelt thanks” to the police for restoring order.

Axel Rudakubana, 18, has been charged with the murder of the three girls in Merseyside.

He is also charged with the attempted murder of yoga class instructor Leanne Lucas, businessman John Hayes, and eight children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, and possession of a kitchen knife with a curved blade.