King Charles is set to meet with survivors of the Southport stabbings in a touching display of support

King Charles will today meet survivors and families affected by the Southport knife attack which saw three young girls tragically killed.

The monarch’s visit is a show of “his continued support” to those involved in the July 29 attack and the riots which followed in the town, Buckingham Palace said. Charles will also add his personal thanks to brave frontline emergency staff in the region for their ongoing work serving local people.

Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, were killed when a knifeman entered a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club at the Hart Space Community Centre to carry out the atrocity, leaving 10 others seriously injured.

After meeting privately with some of the surviving children who were present at the centre as well as their families, the King will later meet members of the Southport community outside the Town Hall. Charles will also visit representatives from Merseyside’s emergency services and local community groups at Southport Community Fire Station.

On the day the horror unfolded, Buckingham Palace released a statement on behalf of the King where he labelled the incident a “truly appalling attack”.

He said: “My wife and I have been profoundly shocked to hear of the utterly horrific incident in Southport today. 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.”

The Prince and Princess of Wales also shared a poignant statement at the time, saying: “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.”

Posting on social media, the parents of Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, nine and Prince Louis, six, added: “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.”

In the days that followed, the King was kept updated daily as police forces dealt with violent scenes of disorder by far-right groups across the country. Last week the monarch praised the “compassion and resilience of the many” in the face of widespread riots by far-right groups, which were faced down by numerous counter-demonstrations around the country.