Princess Kate makes surprise public appearance with Prince William in first official engagement since cancer treatment ended

The Princess of Wales has made a surprise public appearance with Prince William in their first official engagement since her cancer treatment ended.

Kate, who announced she finished her chemotherapy treatment early last month, and William made an unannounced trip to Merseyside to meet the families of the Southport stabbing victims.

The Princess and Prince of Wales made an unannounced trip to meet with the families of the Southport stabbing victims (PA)

The couple privately met the families of Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, all fatally stabbed during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on July 29 in Southport, and the children’s dance teacher.

The pair spent around spent half an hour with each of the family groups before they walked the short distance to Southport Community Centre where they joined emergency responders involved in the attack to hear about their experiences and meet health practitioners supporting the 'blue light' community in Southport.

This is Kate and Will's first official public appearance since she's ended her cancer treatment (PA)

At the time of the stabbings, Kate and Will issued a statement on social media which read: "As parents, we cannot begin to imagine what the families, friends and loved ones of those killed and injured in Southport today are going through."

It is understood the engagement was planned as a solo visit for William but Kate decided to join her husband in order to show her support, empathy and compassion for the local community.

The princess has been slowly returning to a light programme of public duties following her announcement in a video four weeks ago.

In the video, Kate described the past nine months since her serious health issues began as 'incredibly tough for us as a family' and how the 'cancer journey is complex, scary and unpredictable for everyone', with the experience giving her a 'new perspective on everything'.

She added: "Doing what I can to stay cancer-free is now my focus. Although I have finished chemotherapy, my path to healing and full recovery is long and I must continue to take each day as it comes.

"I am however looking forward to being back at work and undertaking a few more public engagements in the coming months when I can.

"Despite all that has gone before, I enter this new phase of recovery with a renewed sense of hope and appreciation of life."

Kate is continuing her return to her public duties (PA)

William and Kate’s visit follows a similar engagement held by King Charles back in August when he also met the bereaved families and emergency workers.

Following the stabbings, far-right riots broke out in Southport with the local mosque targeted and a popular convenience shop attacked, with further violence across the country for a number of days.

The violence, described as 'far-right thuggery' by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, was sparked by false claims about the identity of a teenage suspect later charged with three counts of murder.