King Charles tells of ‘shock’ at killing of three women in Southport
The King expressed his profound ‘shock’ at the killing of three little girls in Southport and the resulting riots today.
But he also spoke of his heartfelt appreciation of the way in which the local community has rallied around its own as he met with emergency services personnel, faith leaders and some of those who opened their doors in unmitigated acts of kindness.
Among them were Diane, 50, and her husband Dan, 48, whose home backs onto the Hart Community Centre, where the violence occurred.
Their 12-year-old daughter, who was home at the time, witnessed events as her bedroom looks down on the scene.
The King suspended his traditional Balmoral break to hold a private meeting with some of the injured young children and their families and spent a moment looking at floral tributes left to the three victims.
Patrick Hurley, MP for Sefton, which includes Southport, met the King with other local leaders at a fire station, and said afterwards: ‘He was very keen to express his sympathy and empathy. Very keen to make sure the people of Southport know that from the symbolism perspective, the country’s heart goes out to the people here.’
The King will travel from Scotland to Southport today to meet with affected children and their families. He pictured visiting the floral tributes to the victims on Tuesday
King Charles appeared moved by the huge number of floral tributes left in Southport
The King opened his hands as he spoke of his amazement at the floral tributes left in Southport
It comes after a fatal stabbing attack on a Taylor Swift themed dance class which left three children dead, including Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven (pictured)
Bebe King, six, was also killed in the horror attack in Southport last month
Alice Aguiar, nine, died in the early hours of the morning after being rushed to hospital following the attack
King Charles signs a book of condolence during his visit to Southport Town Hall following the horror attack
Diane and Dan comforted the families of some of those who tragically lost their lives or were injured on the day, and have continued allow police to use their facilities as investigations continued.
The couple are unable to speak in detail about events of the day due to the ongoing police enquiries.
But Diane said: ‘My husband and daughter actually witnessed some of it. My daughter’s bedroom window looks down on it, we can’t discuss what she saw but as parent it is very traumatising. I came straight home from work and we have been within the police cordon for the last three weeks. The barriers have just gone up yesterday.
‘It’s a bit surreal. It’s as if everything is going to back to normal but for us it will be quite a thing to get over.
‘It was a surreal conversation with the king because we’ve opened our doors to the six or eight police officers who were manning the cordon each day. We have opened our front door all day for them to use our facilities. They get tea and coffee and food but nowhere to go to the toilet. At night we leave our back door open for them to use the toilet too. The king laughed and I said ‘well everyone’s got to go!’
‘The King said he was shocked, really shocked at what happened, and said it was kind of us to open our house. We said it was the right thing to do.
‘You don’t imagine it happening in our own town, let along at the end of your backyard. ‘My husband and daughter were there and I rushed back from work to see a couple of people still being treated before being put in ambulances and taken away.
‘We were able to be there even in a small way for one of the deceased parents. We were able to support them. I just said to them if you want to come and sit in the quiet. I won’t repeat what happened or what was said but as a parent your heart goes out to them. It’s heartbreaking.
‘We are Christians and I’ve prayed for the families of the deceased but I’ve also prayed for his parents [the accused] as effectively they have lost a son. Imagine being the parent of the children who done it?
‘The King said it was a very kind thing for us to do and was shocked at what had happened. ‘We think a lot of the royal family. His visit shows that they have a compassionate heart and the fact that Charles, Camilla and William and Kate all put out statements after it happened was touching.
‘He’s very easy to talk to, I was surprised. I think [criticism of him not coming down earlier] is undeserved. This was the right time. ‘
King Charles stopped to shake the hands of some members of the public during his trip to Southport
Charles, 75, who is still undergoing cancer treatment, is expected to fly from Balmoral. The King is pictured at the floral display in Southport on Tuesday
The monarch also appeared to read some of the messages and tributes left in Southport
The huge display has been left in the wake of the tragic killings of three girls who were stabbed during a Taylor Swift-themed summer party in the town last month
The King waited to visit Southport until the region’s police were less stretched by unrest
King Charles is pictured in the background of the floral display, which also includes a number of balloons and cuddly toys
King Charles appeared moved when he saw the scale of the tributes left for those killed in the attack
He was seen speaking to members of the public as he examined floral tributes in Southport
King Charles waved from the window of his car as he left Southport this afternoon
The event took part at the community fire station in Southport where His Majesty was met by regional leaders including the mayors of Liverpool City Region and Sefton.
The King met with staff from each of the three emergency services, the fire brigade, ambulance and police.
‘Were you there? He asked several of them, adding: ‘I hope you are not too exhausted. Were your teams there on the night? When you do finally get off duty? It’s all my fault, I am sure.’
Imam Ibrahim Hussein of the Southport Mosque was present when it was attacked by rioters the day after the killings.
He said: ‘They targeted our mosque because of what was circulating in the [social] media. They targeted our mosque and wanted to kill us and destroy the mosque. We were terrified obviously because the whole building was shaking. Fire bombs were thrown at the mosque. It was awful, the slogans and the shouting and the chanting. I thought that [kind of behaviour] was over with. We thought we were in multi-cultural Britain. We don’t expect that at all. We don’t expect them the pick on a minority. We were at a loss really what was happening.
‘I was one out of seven that was actually there and we felt every blow and very brick that was thrown at the mosque. We felt the whole thing shaking. We had to do our prayers in the middle of this. We could feel the anger. ‘
King Charles had tea as he met with community leaders this afternoon and thanked emergency services for their hard work
Britain’s King Charles III meets with representatives from Merseyside’s emergency services and local community groups at the Community Fire Station in Southport
King Charles was seen speaking with police officers who had been involved in the response to the riots
The King spoke with emergency responders after a difficult few weeks for the town
Representatives from local police, ambulance services and firefighters were all present
His Majesty met with those affected by the attack and riots alongside thanking front-line emergency staff for their ongoing work
Charles shook hands with a young girl in Southport and greeted her as he arrived in the town
Hundreds of people, including children on their summer holidays, turned out to greet the King
Residents young and old came together to thank Charles for visiting the town just weeks after the fatal tragedy
The King stopped to talk to locals who had waited hours for a glimpse of him outside the town hall
At one point, the King appeared to read one of the messages of tribute left on one of the bunches as he slowly walked through the floral display
Dozens of balloons and stuffed animals – which are only brought out during good weather – were also on display outside the town hall
Members of the public had been waiting since 11.30am for the King to arrive in order to greet him
He added: ‘The community is the source of our strength. Unity was more than we expected. What they did brings tears to your eyes. They were there before we were cleaning up and tidying up. People even brought food and drink. I do not believe how people can be supportive and so nice. It was incredible. ‘
He said of the king’s visit: ‘It means quite a lot actually. For His Majesty to take time from his heavy schedule and visit a small town such as this means a lot to us. His Majesty has always been championing the cause of the Muslim and Islam. He always praises and brought out the good side and what the Muslims have contributed to humanity. A lot of people are ignorant. We are very grateful to him.
‘I think this is the right time for the visit. If the king had come earlier that would be a bigger burden on the services. We are very grateful to him.
‘I think he can make a difference….we are grateful for his contribution to inter faith relationships and the protection of Islam. He is the right person and HisMajesty is listened to and people appreciate his words.
‘His message has been seen here. We in the mosque have been visited by the synagogue and the churches a few times and we are very well connected together. We know each other by name. I have the pleasure of receiving a nice cheque from the Jewish community that was presented to me. No matter what is thrown at us we respect each other’s faith.’
The Imam said he has always felt safe before but now ‘in the back of my mind’ worried as he walked around town.
‘But normally i am very happened to walk like this [in his traditional dress] but these are very strange times. Last night at 3.30 some kids were riding bikes and threw some things at her security guards. Maybe it is a copycat but it is troubling. ‘
After meeting the king he said: ‘He was referring to community and how terrifying it must have been for us. How scary and terrifying it must have been for us and our mosque and our community.’
King Charles is pictured inspecting some of the floral tributes in Southport on Tuesday
The King was accompanied by members of his security team and the press
King Charles III waved as he arrived in Southport to meet local community and emergency services
His Majesty arrived earlier on Tuesday to meet with the survivors and families of the victims of the tragic attack. King Charles is pictured arriving in Southport
The crowd welcomed the monarch as he arrived, with some singing ‘God Save The King’
Charles is seen surrounded by locals during his visit to Southport on Tuesday
The King also spoke to Chanaka Balasuriya, 48, and his wife, Thanuja, 47, who run a mini mart in Southport that was attacked by looters, along with neighbours Rose Tucker, 32, who runs a nail salon next door and has raised almost £15,000 times get them open again.
He described how they closed the shop early on the Tuesday as they were expecting some sort of demonstration and watched in horror on CCTV from home nearby as it was attacked, looted and almost entirely destroyed inside.
Mrs Balasuriya said: ‘We had never faced something like this in our life. From our house we could see the smoke in the area put the CCTV on. It was heartbreaking to see. Our children. 12 and nearly 19, were crying when they pushed through the front door. We have built up our business from scratch. ‘
Miss Tucker said she felt compelled to help and she knew what it was like to set up a small business and how tough things were.
‘I knew they would have to start from scratch. They tried to set it alight, all the stock was ruined. I knew the expense of it. But we also wanted to show them that’s not what we are like. That’s not the people of Southport. We set up a Go Fund Me and have been overwhelmed at the donations,’ she said.
‘It’s been a bit of light in a very dark tunnel.’
Mr Balasuriya said people had come from day one to help with flowers, chocolates and food and even giving them money to help get the shop open again.
‘It’s been very touching,’ he said.
Members of the public stopped and waved as the King’s convoy drove past them in Southport
Charles took time to do a walkabout in the town centre and speak to residents, many of whom asked after his health
The King was seen laughing and in good spirits as he spoke with members of the public
Earlier this month it was revealed that the King had asked for ‘daily updates’ on the riots sparked by the Southport atrocity
The King asked for daily updates on the riots which broke out after the fatal attack in Southport
In the town far-right yobs set a police van on fire as more than 1,000 people gathered following false information being shared on social media
The King was also said to be engaging ‘privately’ around the issues that the shocking national unrest and violence had generated
A tribute to those killed in the Southport attacks was held on the same night as unrest broke out in the town
His wife said: ‘We feel really blessed to be around this amazing community. We didn’t know that many people knew us and that we had a shop. We have had postcards even from around the country after seeing what happened and saying what they feel. They say if they ever happen to visit Southport they will come to see us. It’s very reassuring. ‘
Miss Tucker said the king’s visit had ‘brought some light’. ‘It shows what happened will not be tolerated, we are different from that. It does so much for different communities. It shows he is about action not just words,’ she said.
Mr Balasuriya said it has been ‘an honour for us’. ‘It’s been a huge support,’he added.
His wife added: ‘It shows he is aware of what happened. He could see we were nervous and put us at ease. It’s reassuring. He knew what had happened to us. We value that he cancelled his holiday and has come here despite having cancer. It’s surreal and comforting.
‘He said I am sorry about what had happened. He wanted to meet us because he knew what happened to our shop.’
