CNN
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Britain’s Prince and Princess of Wales made a surprise visit to Southport in northwest England on Thursday, where they met the bereaved families of three children killed in a knife attack in July.

The visit was the first public appearance for Catherine, known as Kate, since finishing chemotherapy.

Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, 9, were fatally stabbed on July 29 while attending a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the city.

The royal couple met privately with the families of the three young girls, as well as their dance teacher, who was present during the attack.

William and Kate – who has made only a handful of public appearances this year – also met with emergency responders who were on the scene in July, as well as mental health professionals who have supported the Blue Light community in the months since.

“I cannot underestimate how grateful you (the families) all are for the support you provided that day,” Kate told respondents during the deeply emotional session, according to British news agency PA Media. She then thanked frontline staff on behalf of the families.

Meanwhile, William, heir to the British throne, told the group that they were “heroes” and urged them to “make sure you look after yourself.”

“Please take your time and don’t rush back to work,” he added.

After the unexpected appearance in Southport, William and Kate spoke about their “powerful” visit on social media.

“We continue to stand with everyone in Southport. Today’s community meeting was a powerful reminder of the importance of supporting one another in the wake of an unimaginable tragedy. “You will remain in our thoughts and prayers,” the couple wrote in a post on X.

At the time of the knife attack, the Waleses posted a statement on social media from their perspective as parents. “We cannot imagine what the families, friends and loved ones of those killed and injured in Southport today are going through,” they said in July, before sending their “love, thoughts and prayers” and thanks to emergency services.

The couple also donated through their royal foundation to a fundraiser aimed at providing psychological and physical rehabilitation for police and ambulance personnel involved in the attack and subsequent unrest.

CNN understands that the princess made the decision on Thursday to join her husband to show her support, compassion and sympathy to the local community.

Kate, 42, is slowly making her way back into public life after announcing in a video last month that she had completed chemotherapy and was cancer-free. She has not revealed what type of cancer she was being treated for.

The princess said the last nine months had been challenging, but “I’m looking forward to being back at work in the coming months and taking on a few more public engagements when I can.”

In recent weeks she has held a series of meetings, mainly focused on her work in the early years and her upcoming annual Christmas carol concert.

A few weeks ago she also paid a private visit to the English National Ballet for a matinee show and then posted on social media about the “moving and inspiring” performance.

The Welsh aren’t the only royals showing their support to the bereaved families and the Southport community. King Charles III made a similar visit to the area in August to meet the victims of the attack and thank frontline rescue workers.

This story has been updated.