ROYALS' UNDER THE RADAR VISIT

In their first joint official engagement since Kate completed her cancer treatment, the Prince and Princess of Wales spent time in private with the families of the Southport stabbing victims

-  REBECCA RUSSELL

With Prince William by her side, the Princess of Wales looked relaxed and comfortable last week as she marked her latest milestone during an unannounced visit to meet the bereaved families of the Southport stabbing victims. Their surprise arrival in Merseyside was William and Kate’s first joint official engagement since the princess’s course of chemotherapy cancer treatment came to an end in the summer. And while it was a joy to see her recovery going so well, the goal of the occasion was clear — to focus solely on the inconceivable tragedy of the attack on 29 July.

“Under the radar, low profile, minimal fuss but high impact… that is exactly the sort of engagement we might have expected the Princess of Wales to undertake after such a prolonged absence,” former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond exclusively told OK!, “A return to public life like this could have been all about Catherine. But, in every way, she tried to make it about the people who mattered, and not about her.

“She dressed down… quiet, smart, unassuming, not noteworthy. This was about the parents and the community who had suffered such unimaginable loss. It was obviously a risk it would become all about her. But she did everything to stop that. There was no advance publicity, total privacy for her meetings with the parents. I hope such a significant visit brought them comfort.”