Kate Middleton appears to be back at work after revealing that she had completed chemotherapy last month, and it’s for such an important cause. On Thursday, Kate made her first public appearance since battle cancer, joining husband Prince William to meet with families who lost their children at the Southport stabbing that took place during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.
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Will and Kate met with members of the Southport community on Thursday.
In a post shared on William and Kate’s official Instagram account, they included a photo from a meeting with first responders to the tragedy in July that left three children dead and injured eight more kids and two adults.
“We continue to stand with everyone in Southport,” they wrote in their caption. “Meeting the community today has been a powerful reminder of the importance of supporting one another in the wake of unimaginable tragedy. You will remain in our thoughts and prayers.”
Kate's appearance wasn't announced ahead of time.
In the comments, many people shared how pleasantly surprised they were to see Kate at her first royal engagement since receiving her cancer diagnosis.
“What a lovely surprise! I’m so happy to see you again working, Catherine!” once person wrote.
Another commenter added, “This is what compassion in action is. Your kindness is genuine. These families have been through so much.”
They also met with the families who had been affected.
According to People, Will and Kate met privately with the families of the three young girls who were killed in the stabbings, along with the dance teacher who was working that day.
Daily Mail correspondent Rebecca English tweeted that they spent 30 minutes with each family before they met with the first responders.
A video of the meeting has surfaced online, too.
The Sun‘s royal editor, Matt Wilkinson, shared a video from Will and Kate’s conversation with first responders on X (formerly Twitter).
“The first thing we thought about was actually how on earth you guys are going to handle having seen what you’ve seen,” Prince William said to the first responders, according to The Sun.
He added, “So please take your time, don’t rush back to work, do whatever you need to, talk about it, give your superiors a hard time if they are not letting you have that time to decompress because it’s so important you have those moments.”
Kate was sure to make the visit especially personal.
“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,” chief fire officer Phil Garrigan told The Sun. “I think that just shows a really caring side and is very touching for them.”
There’s no doubt Kate making the appearance was meaningful to everyone she met with.
