Prince William and Princess Kate visited Southport to meet with the families of the victims of the Southport attacks, and the prince was truly delighted and shocked by a school’s greeting
Danielle Kate Wroe Senior Social News Reporter
15:30, 25 Sep 2025
Prince William’s reaction was adorable (Image: WPA Pool, Getty Images)
Prince William, along with his wife, Catherine, Princess of Wales, recently paid a visit to Southport to honour the victims of the tragic Southport attacks in July 2024. The devastating incident saw Alice da Silva Aguiar, Bebe King and Elsie Dot Stancombe lose their lives in a knife attack during a dance class.
The Royal couple travelled to Southport to meet with the bereaved families and engage with locals about the profound impact the tragedy had on the close-knit community. This marks the second time the Duke and Duchess have met with the affected families, having previously visited in October 2024 to extend their support to the local community and learn about how the people of Southport rallied together following the dreadful event.
During their visit, Prince William addressed pupils at a local school. Both he and Kate made stops at Churchtown Primary School, attended by Bebe and Alice, and Farnborough Road Infant and Junior School, where Elsie was a student.
However, it was the future king’s endearing reaction to the children’s response at the school that truly captured the hearts of those present.
Upon addressing the children, he greeted them with a simple: “Good afternoon, everyone”.
He appeared genuinely surprised when the crowd responded in unison: “Good afternoon, Mr Prince, good afternoon, everybody”.
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The prince couldn’t help but beam from ear to ear, clearly touched by the respectful and charming response from the children.
Anna, who shared the video on X, captioned it: “Prince William’s laugh when the pupils responded in unison to his ‘Good afternoon’ greeting,” followed by a tearful emoji, one crying with laughter, and a love heart for good measure.
He humorously remarked that he’d “found the word” that he needs “to use to trigger it off” before continuing his interaction with the youngsters.
People praised William’s authenticity, with one admirer commenting: “He clearly wasn’t expecting that response. His reaction is so sweet and genuine. Well done, children”.
“This means so much to our little seaside town. Thank you for visiting,” expressed a resident from Southport.
Another reminisced: “I remember having to do this at school, every day saying good morning to the head teacher, followed by good morning to everybody. Clearly, they were well-trained children!”.
Others complimented the children as being “so respectful and cute,” with one woman writing: “That is so genuinely sweet. Imagine holding such a title for children to use it. Super adorable when he genuinely wasn’t expecting to be addressed as such”.
Some fans even drew comparisons between him and his late mother, Princess Diana. One person observed: “His smile is like seeing his mother still alive…disarmingly beautiful”.
“Prince William is going to make the most wonderful King,” another praised him.