King Charles meets survivors of stabbing attack in Southport

Summary

King Charles has met families and survivors of last month's knife attack in Southport that claimed the lives of three girls
Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, died when a knifeman attacked a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on 29 July. Ten others were seriously injured
Crowds gathered outside Southport Town Hall to see the King, who will next meet frontline emergency staff and members of the community
You can watch our coverage by pressing watch live at the top of the page

Live Reporting

Edited by Sophie Abdulla

What happened in the Southport attack?published at 12:42 British Summer Time 20 August
Image source, FAMILY HANDOUTS
Image caption,
Elsie Dot Stancombe, Alice Da Silva Aguiar and Bebe King died after the attack
Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, were killed when a knifeman attacked a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on Hart Street, on 29 July.
Police were called to reports of a stabbing just before 11:50 BST.
Ten other people were seriously injured including yoga teacher, Leanne Lucas, 35, who has recently been readmitted to hospital.
A 17-year-old has been charged with the murder of three girls and 10 counts of attempted murder.
He was named as Axel Muganwa Rudakubana after restrictions preventing him from being identified were lifted.
King 'profoundly shocked' by fatal knife attackpublished at 12:21 British Summer Time 20 August
Image source, Getty Images
King Charles’s visit comes three weeks on from a knife attack that killed three young girls in Southport, north-west of England.
Soon after news of the attack on 29 July, the King and Queen Camilla said they were ”profoundly shocked” at the "the utterly horrific incident" in the town in Merseyside.
"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," they said.
Tributes were also echoed by the the Prince and Princess of Wales, who sent their love and prayers “to all those involved in this horrid and heinous attack”.
King to meet survivors of attack and emergency servicespublished at 12:09 British Summer Time 20 August
Charlotte Gallagher
Reporting from Southport
The King will arrive in Southport later to meet with the families directly affected by the knife attack in July.
He’ll also speak to some of the surviving children who witnessed the stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.
The King will then meet with the paramedics, police and firefighters that responded to the attack and then had to deal with the violent disorder that followed.
Faith leaders in the area will also be present. It’s likely the King waited until his visit would not put additional pressure on the emergency services here.
King Charles to visit Southport for first time since attackpublished at 11:58 British Summer Time 20 August
Marita Moloney
Live page editor
Welcome to our live coverage of King Charles's visit to Southport following a stabbing attack in which three girls were killed three weeks ago.
Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, died when a knifeman attacked a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on 29 July. Ten others were seriously injured.
King Charles previously issued a statement in the wake of the attack, saying he was "profoundly shocked to hear of the utterly horrific incident".
He will meet families and survivors, including children, as well as frontline emergency staff and members of the community affected by the disorder plus regional leaders.
Our teams here in London and Southport will bring you live updates on his visit, plus you'll be able to follow it on our stream above this afternoon, so stay with us.