‘It's dreadful ... everyone was so young'
Queen meets with victims of bombing as thousands gather, sing in solidarity
• In a few simple words during a visit to the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital to meet the young victims of Monday’s terrorist bombing, the Queen encapsulated the horror of an attack that has left the nation reeling.
“It’s dreadful, very wicked, to target that sort of thing,” the Queen told 14-year-old Evie Mills, who was lying with a teddy bear by her side, and a blanket shrouding her injured chest and legs.
The Queen later added, as she toured the children’s ward: “The awful thing was that everyone was so young.”
During her 65-year reign, the Queen has occasionally made visits to hospitals to help lead the nation in moments of national grieving. She did so after the 7/7 terror attacks in London and also to meet servicemen and women injured fighting for their country.
Fourteen patients remain at the hospital, including five in critical condition.
Among them was Millie Robson, 15, who was still wearing her Ariana Grande concert T-shirt. Her legs were badly wounded in the blast. Millie told the Queen she went to the concert with a friend who was also injured.
The Queen, who was wearing a blue coat, white gloves and orange hat, responded: “She sounds a very, very good singer.”
Since Monday evening’s bombings, Manchester has struggled to come to terms with the horror of what took place. But Thursday, the famous city of music reached deep into its soul to help bind its wounds.
At 11 a.m. — as the country fell silent in honour of those killed and maimed — thousands gathered in the city centre.
A lone voice began to sing: Don’t Look Back in Anger, by the Manchester band Oasis. The impromptu song rippled through the crowd gaining in size and strength.
It was started by Lydia Bernsmeier-Rullow, 32, who said: “It felt beautiful and I got goose pimples all over me.
“It was a only a few people singing at first then everybody joined in. People hugged me and thanked me but I didn’t think it was anything in particular.”
Bernsmeier-Rullow said she hadn’ t planned to sing the song before attending the vigil, but its lyrics had been in her head ever since the attack. “Don’t look back in anger is a very Mancunian sentiment,” she said. “We don’t hate. We love.”