Southport survivor said meeting Prince William was 'magical'

A yoga teacher seriously injured in the Southport knife attacks has described chatting with the Prince of Wales again as like "meeting an old friend". Leanne Lucas attended a Buckingham Palace garden party where she spoke to William about her Let's Be Blunt campaign, which aims to reduce knife crime by promoting blades with rounded tips. The Prince, who alongside the Princess of Wales visited Lucas in Southport in the aftermath of the 29 July 2024 attack, told her "you're so brave" after asking how she was getting on personally. Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, were killed at a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop. The Prince and Princess of Wales hosted the garden party on behalf of the King, and met guests from a number of both their patronages, military affiliations and passion projects. Zara Tindall and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh also attended the event. After her meeting with William, Lucas said: "It was like meeting an old friend again, because we had such personal conversations last time we met." She said the Prince was "really keen" to know about her campaign but was also "checking in on how I am" and "it was a nice conversat