LONDON (Reuters) -King Charles travelled to northern England on Tuesday to pay tribute to victims and families of those affected by a mass stabbing last month which sparked riots and racist attacks targeting Muslims and migrants.
On a visit to Southport, the town where the attack took place, Charles met some of the surviving children and their families, before later meeting representatives from local emergency services and community groups.
He also looked at flowers and toys that had been left in memory of the victims of the attack, to cheers and applause from the gathered crowds.
Three young girls were killed and others were wounded in the July 29 attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class, which sparked the riots after online misinformation wrongly said it had been committed by an Islamist migrant.
A 17-year-old male, who the police said was born in Britain, was charged with three counts of murder, 10 counts of attempted murder and one of possession of a bladed article.
Charles has praised the community spirit, compassion and resilience that countered aggression and criminality from the rioters, and said he hoped mutual respect and understanding would continue to unite the nation.
Charles has taken a keen interest in helping young people, setting up the Princes Trust charity in the 1970s. It has helped a million young people to find work or create community projects and has worked in areas impacted by riots and unrest over the years. It has continued to operate, including in locations hit by the riots, since his coronation.
(Reporting by Alistair Smout, editing by Elizabeth Piper and Giles Elgood)
