Charles and Camilla visit bombing scene
Charles and Camilla visit scene of terrorist atrocity
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall paid tribute to the bravery of staff at Manchester Arena when they visited the venue to witness the scene of the terror attack which claimed the lives of 22 victims.
Both royals stood in the half light of the foyer area at the arena to view the spot where carnage unfolded on May 22.
THE PRINCE of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall paid tribute to the bravery of staff at Manchester Arena when they visited the venue to witness the scene of the terror attack which claimed the lives of 22 victims.
Both royals stood in the halflight of the foyer area at the arena, with its glass panels above blown out, to view the spot where carnage unfolded on May 22.
They stood in silence as they were shown the spot on the tiled floor, now deeply pock-marked, where 22-year-old Salman Abedi detonated his suicide bomb at the end of a busy Ariana Grande concert last month.
Among those killed were taxi driver Marcin Klis, 42, and wife Angelika, 39, who lived in York; Wendy Fawell, 50, from Otley in Leeds and Kelly Brewster, 32, from Sheffield.
Leeds schoolgirl Sorrell Leczkowski, 14, and Leeds Beckett University student Courtney Boyle, 19, of Gateshead, also lost their lives in the blast.
During 10 minutes spent in the foyer, the royals were talked through what had happened by Bob Gallagher, forensic manager for the North West Counter Terrorism Unit.
Yards away gaping, ragged round holes made by flying shrapnel of nuts and bolts still marked the walls and exit doors and huge re-enforced glass panels, shattered from the blast, are covered by wooden hoardings.
No cameras were allowed inside the area for the royal visit, as it is still being treated as a crime scene by investigators.
Later, the royal visitors met medical and crowd management staff employed by the arena to hear about their experiences.
Charles and Camilla both listened intently as they asked about what had confronted the people working that night and how they had coped since the bombing.
Many of the 22 killed were children along with more than 100 people injured.
Both royals spoke to the medical staff, who have other full-time jobs or are students – some as young as 18 – who were working that night and first on the scene before 999 responders. None wanted to be named.
One woman in the medical control room was watching the arena on a laptop and saw the bomb explode, she explained
A medic told the Duchess: “Nobody knew what was going to happen next. If there was another bomb. You can prepare on paper but... We heard the bang and saw the smoke.
“We knew deep down what had happened immediately.”
Another added: “We did as best we could. We have some good people. I was just at the top of the stairs where the bomb went off.
“Kids running around screaming, hysterical, handbags, shoes everywhere and at that time we didn’t know if there was going to be another device. We didn’t know what we were walking into.”
Camilla told them: “I think you are all incredible. It must have been incredibly difficult for you. People have got a lot to thank you for. You did a fantastic job; you should be proud of yourselves.”
The royals later visited Manchester Town Hall, where Camilla met privately with Freya Lewis, 14, who is still recovering, along with parents, Nick and Alison.
Charles also hosted a round-table discussion with Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, community leaders and young people about the impact of the attack and how the city united in the immediate aftermath.