King Charles hosts families of Southport stabbing victims at Clarence House

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

King Charles has met with the grieving families of the girls who were killed in the Southport knife attack.

Charles sat down in Clarence House with the parents of Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, who were fatally stabbed at a Taylor-Swift themed dance class last month.

The King met them privately at his London home the day after travelling to Southport on Tuesday to spend 45 minutes with some of the children who survived the attack and their families.

The monarch also went on a brief walkabout outside the town hall meeting some of the well-wishers who had gathered as he viewed the sea of floral tributes that have been left for the victims outside Southport Town Hall.

Helen Marshall, 71, was among the crowds and said: “The last few weeks have been devastating but the community spirit is the thing keeping us going.”

The King also visited a local fire station to meet members of the local emergency services who dealt with the attack, and others from the community affected by the rioting.

Three children were killed and eight injured after a knifeman launched an attack at a dance studio in Southport in July.

Axel Rudakubana, 18, has been charged with the murder of the three girls in Merseyside and for the attempted murder of yoga class instructor Leanne Lucas, businessman John Hayes, and eight children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, as well as possession of a kitchen knife with a curved blade.

Hours after the tragedy, the King said that he and the Queen had been “profoundly shocked” to hear of the “utterly horrific incident in Southport today”.

Charles added: “We send our most heartfelt condolences, prayers and deepest sympathies to the families and loved ones of those who have so tragically lost their lives, and to all those affected by this truly appalling attack.”

The Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate, also paid tribute and said: “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.

“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.”

Following the Merseyside attack, false allegations concerning the suspect’s identity were spread online with some posts speculating that he was a migrant who had been on the MI6 watchlist.

Far-right riots unfurled on UK streets in the aftermath, with a current total of 1,117 arrests and 677 charges made in connection to the disorder.

Following days of riots, Charles offered his “heartfelt thanks’ to the police for restoring order, after speaking to Sir Keir Starmer and police leaders following the week of unrest across the UK.