WATCH: Catherine's moving return

The Princess of Wales made her first public appearance in a long time

The Princess of Wales was not originally scheduled to join her husband in Southport

Hello Royal Clubbers,

You’ll be pleased to hear, like us, that earlier today the Princess of Wales made a surprise first public outing since announcing last month she had finished her chemotherapy treatment.

While it was lovely to see Catherine carrying out her duties, the occasion was a sombre one as she was in the north of England to commemorate the victims of July’s dreadful attack in Southport.

Catherine carried out her first public-facing engagement today since finishing her course of chemotherapy

It was a truly touching engagement, some of which took place behind closed doors. William and Catherine privately met with the bereaved families of Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe, and Alice da Silva Aguiar - the three young girls who were fatally stabbed at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.

The July attack also left ten others seriously injured, including dance teacher Leanne Lucas, 35, who was stabbed in the neck, back, and arms as she fought to protect her class. 

The royals thanked emergency responders who were at the scene during July’s horrific knife attack

In public, William and Catherine also met with emergency responders who were at the scene, and other members of the local community, which you can see in the video below. “Thank you, you are all true professionals, look after yourselves,” William told the group of fire crews, police officers, and paramedics who recalled the traumatic events of the day.

At the time of the attack, William and Catherine shared their shock and sadness in a statement, but they chose to personally visit Southport today, two months on, to show the community they have not been forgotten.

"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. 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."

William and Catherine’s statement in July

Catherine wanted to join William to show her empathy and compassion to the locals

It’s understood that Catherine wanted to join her husband to show her empathy and compassion to the locals, and, as we will probably see with future upcoming engagements, it was a fairly last-minute decision due to her health. But it marks the start of the Princess’ return to a light programme of public-facing engagements.

The outing also comes after King Charles also visited the seaside town in August to pay his respects to those affected by the attack.

You can watch footage from William and Catherine’s emotional visit below.