The Duke and Duchess
of Cambridge appeared visibly moved as they attended a memorial service to
mark the fifth anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire. William and Kate
were seen arriving at the west London site on Tuesday where the multi-faith
service took place, organized by Grenfell United.
Ahead of the service, the
royals met privately with survivors of the fire and those who lost loved ones.
A total of 72 people were killed during the blaze in June 2017.
After the private meeting,
William and Kate joined the congregation at the foot of Grenfell Tower for
the service that included prayers, readings and choir performances.
At the end of the memorial,
they were invited to lay wreaths and flowers to pay tribute to those who lost
their lives.
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William and Kate attended the memorial at the Grenfell Tower site
Grenfell United was formed in
the days after the fire by a group of survivors and the bereaved. The organization
works to provide pastoral care for those affected and advocates for families to
ensure that such a tragic event is not repeated.
The organization previously
held memorial services outside the Tower site in 2018 and 2019 and during the
pandemic, it facilitated individual visits to the site for the bereaved and
survivors to lay flowers and take time to pay their respects.
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The service included prayers, readings and choir performances
In 2017, William, Kate and
Prince Harry made a donation to the Evening Standard’s emergency
appeal for the Dispossessed Fund.
In a statement issued to the
newspaper, a Kensington Palace spokesman said: “The tragedy at Grenfell
Tower has left a number of local people in need of urgent assistance. The Duke
and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry are pleased the Evening Standard’s
Dispossessed Fund has immediately swung into action. As residents of the local
area they are keen to offer their immediate support.”
A couple of days after the
fire, William accompanied the Queen on a visit to Grenfell where they
met those affected by the tragedy, including local residents, members of the
community, and emergency responders.
William and Kate most recently
met Grenfell survivors during a visit to mark the launch of the National
Emergencies Trust, of which the Duke is Patron, in November 2019.
