Today, the Princess of Wales held her first public community engagement since her surgery and cancer diagnosis. 
The Prince and Princess visited Southport, on the west coast of England, between Liverpool and Blackpool. 
They were there to meet privately with the families of three girls killed in a knife attack in July. Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, were killed while participating in a Taylor Swift-themed yoga and dance class. The girls are shown in this social media post.
A week ago today.
With all the craziness going on right now, don’t forget about these beautiful girls, their families and the Southport community.
Alice, Bebe and Elsie Dot pic.twitter.com/CUi29Jy3I3—Claire Hannah (@Claire_journo) August 5, 2024
Eight other children and two adults were injured in the rampage. It was a horrific attack that shook the community. The Prince and Princess personally posted a message about the incident on their social media pages. 
hello reports: “Following the attack, the National Police and Welfare Service organized a fundraiser, to which the Royal Foundation of the Prince and Princess of Wales made a donation, to help those involved in the immediate response.” .
Taylor Swift posted a message on her Instagram story. 
King Charles visited the community in August and met with survivors and first responders.
This was the Prince and Princess’ first joint public engagement since December’s Christmas Carol concert. Here you see them being welcomed into the Southport Community Centre, where they met a four-legged friend. 
The couple spent approximately thirty minutes with each of the three girls’ families. More about today’s commitment The telegraph story by Victoria Ward.
Later, at Southport community centre, the couple met with emergency services who had helped the victims, as well as mental health professionals who had provided them with long-term support.
It is understood that both the Prince and Princess felt it was important to visit Southport almost three months later to show the community that it has not been forgotten and that they will continue to offer their support.
He daily mail reports: “They also spent time with dance teacher Leanne Lucas, 35, who was seriously injured while protecting young people who were attacked by a knife.”
More of this News from heaven article by Rhiannon Mills.
They met members of the 999 services to hear their memories of the day and spoke to police, ambulance and fire chiefs about ongoing mental health support for staff.
Kate said staff had supported people during their “darkest moments” and added: “To witness that, you need support yourselves.”
We return to the News from heaven piece.
When asked how the families were doing, Kate replied: “They are fine. They are managing it differently. “All families are very different.”
Referring to the meeting with the families of the three girls who died in the attack that she had attended earlier, Kate told emergency workers: “I can’t understate how grateful everyone is for the support you gave me that day.
“On behalf of them, thank you.”
and of The daily mail coverage by Rebecca English and Tom Cotterill.
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service chief fire officer Phil Garrigan said he had a “really lovely fleeting conversation” with William and Kate after speaking to the group of emergency staff.
He said: “The Princess of Wales stopped and went back into the building to give the people who responded a hug because she could see the emotion in them and she could see that it was difficult for them to convey their feelings and say how impactful they were.” have been the events.
The daily mail It also reports: “The Prince of Wales told staff: ‘You are all heroes. Please make sure you take care of yourselves, take your time and don’t rush back to work.’ William called the emergency workers “true professionals” and said they had “a tough few months” ahead of them but they would “get through it together.”
Here’s a quick video from Victoria Ward.
The Princess of Wales made the last-minute decision to join William in Southport today, meeting privately with the families of the three young victims of the July knife attack before joining the emergency services involved in the aftermath. It is the first time he has spoken in public since December 23. pic.twitter.com/3MyjPN7NCA
-Victoria Ward (@victoria_ward) October 10, 2024
And here’s a video shared on Kensington Palace’s social media accounts.
A sincere thank you to the people of Southport for speaking out about their experiences and honoring the young lives lost. In the face of tragedy, the strength and resilience of this community has been a powerful reminder of the ties that bind us.
As healing continues, take… pic.twitter.com/y0AfKWIqPR
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) October 10, 2024
The Prince and Princess also posted this on social media. 
Now let’s see what Kate wore. 
She was wearing the Alexander McQueen tailored coat first seen during the Boston trip in December 2022. The tailored piece is similar to this 2022 Alexander McQueen double-breasted style with pointed lapels, padded shoulders, buttoned cuffs, pockets front with flap and a welt pocket on the chest and a single rear vent. 
Here’s a look at the two sets. 
Underneath the coat, it looked like the princess was wearing her Whistles Margot shirt dress, a mid-length design made of burgundy viscose with a button front, cinched waist, and matching belt. I think the princess used the belt as a necktie tie.
The princess first wore the dress to an engagement in October 2018.
And back in London, at KP, William and Kate hosted @BBCRadio1PR Teen Heroes with DJs Clara Amfo and Greg James on Wednesday. Winners Siena, 16, works to support students with autism and learning disabilities; Lily, 14, wheelchair motocross competitor and anti-bullying activist. Junior, 14 years old. pic.twitter.com/bSnoUZm22H
—Emily Andrews (@byEmilyAndrews) October 19, 2018
There are some RepliKate ideas on the RepliKate dresses page here.
The princess accessorized with her Natasha Clutch ($495) from a favorite royal brand, Emmy London. 
Today’s shoes could be a pair from Gianvito Rossi that we’ve seen before in a color called “Texas Brown Suede” or a nearly identical “Romy” pair from Jimmy Choo. I don’t feel like he sees them well enough to tell which pair he’s wearing.
The princess also brought her Catherine Zoraida Fern Drop earrings ($222). 
And for those curious about the rings that the Princess wears, today we saw her with four. 
I leave you with one more photo of today’s engagement. 
