Kate Middleton and Prince William.Photo: Samir Hussein/WireImage
Kate MiddletonandPrince Williammade a poignant trip to Manchester on Tuesday.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge traveled to the U.K. city to honor the victims of the terrorist attack at Manchester Arena during anAriana Grandeconcert five years ago.
The royal couple attended the official opening of the memorial to the people who were killed or injured in the suicide bombing. Twenty-two people, many of whom were young fans, were killed and hundreds more injured when a terrorist exploded a bomb in the concourse outside the theater where Grande’s concert took place on May 22, 2017.
William, 39, and Kate, 40, were on hand for a service at the Glade of Light memorial, which depicts a white marble halo and bears the names of those killed. It is situated alongside the city’s cathedral.
Kate Middleton and Prince William.Peter Byrne/PA Images via Getty Images
Kate paid tribute to the city’s symbol of the worker bee with her honeycomb earrings. While the bee has been one of the most well-known symbols of Manchester for over 150 years and part of the Manchester City Council’s coat of arms, it quickly became a symbol of the city’s unity against hate and terrorism following the 2017 attack. It was widely shared on social media, used in graffiti and worn to show solidarity.
William made an emotional speech, in which he recalled traveling to Manchester following the attack in 2017 totalk to the communityand attend a service of commemoration at the cathedral.
Prince Williamadded, “As someone who lives with his own grief, I also know that what often matters most to the bereaved is that those we have lost are not forgotten. There is comfort in remembering. In acknowledging that, while taken horribly soon, they lived. They changed our lives. They were loved and they are loved. It is why memorials such as the Glade of Light are so important. Why Catherine and I so wanted to be amongst you today.”
Kate Middleton and Prince William.Samir Hussein/WireImage
Kate laid a bouquet of flowers in honor of the victims before they joined a private reception inside Manchester Cathedral to meet with some of the bereaved families and the members of the emergency services who rushed to the scene of the atrocity.
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During the outing, William and Kate chatted with Andy Thomson and Shivani Gunawardsna, the designers and landscape gardeners who created the memorial space. The Duchess of Cambridge told them that the park “feels just right.”
“Simplicity was something we wanted to keep through the process. That was one of the things Her Royal Highness mentioned. She said it feels like it’s always been here. It just feels right. That was incredibly pleasing to hear as that’s what we wanted it to do. We didn’t want it to shout. It was about the families and we wanted it to blend into this area,” Thomson, of BCA Landscapes, tells PEOPLE.
Thomson, who showed the royal couple around the garden, adds, “They were really interested and they thought the garden was beautiful. They were asking about the marble and I told them about the memory capsules with letters and mementos that each family has left beneath the bronze heart. We talked about the flowers and plants. Her Royal Highness had done an exhibit at the Chelsea Flower Show so we had a good chat about that.”
The memorial designer Andy Thomson (left) shows Prince William and Kate Middleton around the Glade of Light memorial.JON SUPER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Inside the city’s cathedral, both William and Kate went around to each family and had private conversations.
“The involvement of the royal family reflects the point that this wasn’t just an awful tragedy that happened in Manchester but it was something that was felt throughout the country,” Manchester council leader Bev Craig tells PEOPLE.
“Having the royal family here is a really important tribute in my mind. They joined us for the first anniversary, so for many of these families, it’s the second occasion they’ve met the royal family. It sends a really strong message that five years on they haven’t been forgotten. Five years on to have the same level of guests is really important. It’s important that they mark an event like this and the families value it,” Craig adds.
Prince William and Kate Middleton.OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images
Terrorist Salman Abedi set off the bomb and died at the scene. His brother Hashem Abedi was jailed in August 2020for at least 55 yearsfor his part in helping plan and carry out the deadly attack.
An inquiry is still underway toexamine the circumstancesleading up to the bombing.
Prince William’s grandmotherQueen Elizabethalso visited a few days after the bombing, speaking withsome of the young victimsin their hospital beds and condemning the barbaric act as “very wicked.”
Prince William.BEN STANSALL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Earlier on Tuesday,Prince Williamattended the State Opening of Parliament for the first timeafter the Queen, 96, announced that she was unable to attend amidongoing mobility issues. He joined his fatherPrince Charlesand Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.
Royal historian and biographer Robert Lacey called the ceremony an “enormously significant moment.”
The royals at the State Opening of Parliament.HANNAH MCKAY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
“She’s clearly thinking of the future and this can be seen alongside the moment she said it was her wish thatCamilla be known as Queen Consort, which was another important development this year,” Lacey tells PEOPLE.
“Asking her son Charles and William to attend is clearly about succession, about emphasizing a partnership and teamwork,” he says.
source: people.com
