The ' moving visit to Southport proved she has a new superpower amid her cancer recovery, an expert has claimed.
Kate made a last-minute decision to join on a visit to the Merseyside town to the emergency workers called . The couple also met the families of the three little girls who were killed.
Both the prince and princess spent 90 minutes chatting privately with the families of Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, after making an unannounced trip to see them.
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The emotional visit also marked Kate's first official public engagement since the end of her chemotherapy treatment, which was announced last month. And for royal expert and historian Dr Tessa Dunlop, the touching trip was the beginning of a new era for the princess when it comes to her royal role.
She told the : "Kate's moving appearance in Stockport yesterday heralded a gear shift in her role as the . She understands pain and probably always did, but with a cancer journey of her own, Kate has now experienced the fragility of life firsthand.
"Moved by the appalling tragedy that unfolded in Stockport three months ago, she tore up her recovery rulebook and accompanied William on his trip north. Kate's own lived experience gave her a new gravitas, neatly reflected in the muted autumnal colours she wore, and understated eternity ring that has replaced Diana's showy engagement sapphire.
"The elegant ensemble underlined the princess's sincerity in front of those at the coalface of national tragedy, with William's matching berry-coloured jersey speaking to the couple's newfound togetherness.
"Their visit was so much more than glad-handing and ribbon-cutting. Kate and William spent meaningful time with three families whose daughters were brutally murdered, as well as the injured dance teacher, before talking to local support teams. Briefly, the royal couple became a human bridge between those grieving and the public sector workers who look after them."
During the visit yesterday, it emerged that Kate gave some of the fire, ambulance, police and air ambulance workers invited a hug after they struggled to express feelings when trying to process what they experienced responding to the attack.
Tessa added: "A sign of her new confidence, a fire officer revealed how the Princess broke off their public-facing engagement to go inside and privately connect and hug crews who have been struggling to process what happened. The compassion clearly went both ways: a shared bond between individuals who have seen and experienced things this summer they never imagined.
"William and Kate's was not an easy job, to hear and wear the pain of others. It is something the couple have done in the past, but yesterday in Stockport felt different. Kate has grown and changed, as has our public response to her. Post-cancer, the princess enjoys a new superpower - the unique ability to really connect with those in pain."
