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The Princess of Wales accompanied her husband Prince William to Southport on Thursday. The outing marked Her Royal Highness' first public engagement since completing her chemotherapy treatment.
The royal couple visited the Southport Community Centre to show their support for the community and hear how locals have come together as the town recovers from July's tragic knife attack. William and Catherine met with fire, ambulance, air ambulance and police services during the outing. Their Royal Highnesses heard about their experiences of responding to the attack and the impact it's had on their mental health.
The Prince and Princess also met with mental health practitioners. After the attack, the National Police and Wellbeing Service set up a fundraiser—which The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales made a donation to—to help individuals who were involved in the immediate response.
While in Southport on Oct. 10, Prince William and Catherine met privately with the families of the three children who died, as well as with a dance teacher who was present when the attack happened. HOLA! USA understands that the Princess of Wales made the decision to join her husband in Southport in order to show her support, empathy and compassion to the local community.
Prince William and Catherine released an emotional statement following the attack in July. "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," they said. "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," the parents of three continued, signing the message off with "W& C."
The engagement came a month after Catherine announced on Sept. 9 that she had finally completed her chemotherapy treatment. In a personal message, the Princess said: "Doing what I can to stay cancer free is now my focus. Although I have finished chemotherapy, my path to healing and full recovery is long and I must continue to take each day as it comes. I am however looking forward to being back at work and undertaking a few more public engagements in the coming months when I can. Despite all that has gone before I enter this new phase of recovery with a renewed sense of hope and appreciation of life."
At the time, it was understood that the Princess would undertake a light program of public engagements before the end of the year. In the past month, Her Royal Highness has held official meetings at Windsor Castle focusing on her Early Years work and her annual Christmas Carol Service.