Taylor Swift and King Charles III Both Meet With Survivors of the Southport Stabbing

Twenty days after a stabbing attack killed three girls at a Taylor Swift–themed dance class, the pop star met with a few of the survivors before her Sunday night Eras Tour show at Wembley Stadium in London. Sami Foster, a Southport mother, posted photos of her two daughters with Swift to her TikTok account. Swift’s mother, Andrea Swift, was also photographed with the girls. Variety reports that other survivors have had the opportunity to meet with Swift.

In the days after the July 29 attack, Swift shared a statement on Instagram expressing her emotions about the event. “The horror of yesterday’s attack in Southport is washing over me continuously, and I’m just completely in shock,” she wrote. “I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.” According to The Sun, Swift privately reached out to the families of Elsie Dot Stancombe, Alice Aguiar, and Bebe King, the three girls who lost their lives during the attack. Nine other surviving victims were treated by emergency services, and the last one was released from the hospital 10 days later.

On Tuesday, King Charles III traveled to Merseyside to meet with victims and first responders of the attack. He viewed a public memorial to Stancombe, Aguiar, and King at Atkinson Art Centre before speaking to survivors of the attack and their loved ones in a private meeting at Southport Town Hall. He also signed a condolence book for the affected families near the building’s entrance. Afterward, he traveled to Southport Community Fire Station, where he spoke with local faith leaders and emergency services members who were on the scene that day.

One of the victims, 63-year-old John Hayes told BBC News about speaking to the king during the meeting. “It was lovely to meet him. I found him quite engaging, quite easy to talk to,” said Hayes, who sustained a wound to the leg while trying to fight off the attacker. “I think he only arrived in Balmoral yesterday, so for him to come all the way to Southport today to see people is very kind of him…and I’m sure everybody who met him got a lift from that.”

Following the July 29 attack, Prince William and Kate Middleton also sent a message of condolences to the victims. “We send our love, thoughts and prayers to all those involved in this horrid and heinous attack,” they continued. “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.”

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