Princess Kate Invites Survivors of Taylor Swift-Themed Dance Class Stabbing to Christmas Concert
“The royal family have been a tremendous support to the families."
Princess Kate is continuing to support the families impacted by the deadly stabbing in Southport.
According to a report by The Sun published on Friday, Nov. 22, the Princess of Wales has invited child survivors of the fatal Taylor Swift-themed dance class attack to her Christmas carol concert in December.
"They will reunite at Westminster Abbey on Dec. 6," the outlet reports, adding that the holiday event is Kate Middleton's first Together at Christmas concert since she underwent and completed preventative chemotherapy treatments for an unspecified type of cancer.
"The royal family has been a tremendous support to the families," a source told the publication. "The King met with survivors, then Kate took time out to meet them in private last month with Prince William.
"Now, she has personally ensured everyone is invited to her concert which, this year, will mean more to her than ever before," the source added.
Prince William and Princess Kate speak to members of the emergency services during a visit to Southport Community Centre in Southport, north west England on October 10, 2024, where they met rescue workers and the families of those caught up in the Southport knife attack earlier this year.
In July, a 17-year-old boy carried out a deadly knife attack against attendees at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class for children ages 6 to 11. Three children died—Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9—and eight others were injured.
In the wake of the attack, Swift shared her shock regarding the event and condolences for those impacted.
“The horror of yesterday’s attack in Southport is washing over me continuously,” she posted at the time. "These were just little kids at a dance class.”
Later, while touring in the U.K., Swift invited survivors backstage during her "Eras Tour" concert at Wembley in August.
Shortly after the attack, the Prince and Princess of Wales also shared their heartbreak for and support of the victims on social media, writing that as parents they could not "begin to imagine" what those impacted were experiencing.
“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 at the time.
In October, Princess Kate and Prince William met with the families of all three victims, as well as the girls' dance teacher, Leanne Lucas, who was injured in the attack while she tried to protect her students.
The royal couple also met with fire, ambulance and police services who responded to the attack, with a focus on first responders' mental health.
“Ensuring emergency responders receive long-term mental health support following traumatic events is a cause close to the heart of The Prince of Wales, given his first-hand experience as an emergency responder while serving as a pilot with RAF search and rescue and East Anglian Air Ambulance," Kensington Palace said in a written statement at the time.
"The families have met the King, met Taylor Swift and now this wonderful concert," a source told The Sun in response to Princess Kate's recent invite. "But it is all unbearably tinged with the trauma they are still dealing with."
