An emotional King Charles provides a cancer update while speaking to tearful Southport residents.

King Charles gave an update on his health as he spoke to tearful locals in Southport on a visit to meet those affected by a knife attack that killed three little girls.

The King greeted wellwishers outside Southport Town Hall and was pictured looking taken aback by the huge array of floral tributes and gifts laid outside in memory of the victims who were killed in the stabbings last month. Hundreds had gathered to welcome Charles, who is undergoing treatment for cancer, and he was greeted by roaring cheers and applause from the crowd.

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.

During his visit to the Merseyside town, the King also held a private meeting with survivors of the attack, along with their families, but beforehand he took time to greet some of those who had gathered outside the town hall.

Some members of the crowd clapped while others cheered and shouted: ‘God save the King,’ as the monarch walked around the sea of floral tributes, teddy bears and balloons. He stopped to shake the hands of some members of the public, including local Linsey Hislop, 43, who asked him about his health and how he was feeling following his cancer treatment. “I’m not too bad,” the King replied.

Mrs Hislop, a foster carer, said she was a ‘big Royalist’ and wanted to come out to show her support. “I love the Royal Family, and my son is a police officer who was working during the riots so it’s really good of the King to come,” she said. Other members of the crowd appeared emotional and were in tears as King Charles stopped to speak to them.

The King affectionately patted one young girl on the shoulder as he shook hands with many of the hundreds gathered to see him. He told one woman: “Look at all the flowers” and said he hoped people had not been waiting too long. He was then shown inside to meet the children and adults who witnessed last month’s attack as well as the family liasion officers who have been supporting those affected.