The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Catherine, attended a memorial service marking the 5th anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire at the foot of Grenfell Tower. Ahead of the service, The Royal couple met with the family members of the victims and the survivors. 5 years ago on June 14 in 2017, a high-rise fire broke out due to the malfunctioning fridge-freezer on the fourth floor in the 24-story Grenfell Tower block claiming 72 lives in the unfortunate accident.
The multi-faith memorial service was organized by Grenfell United and had prayers, readings, and choir performances.
The Grenfell united was established a few days after the fire by the survivors and bereaved family members of those who died that day. It works to provide pastoral care for those affected and advocate for the families to ensure that such a tragic accident is not repeated.
The organization has been campaigning for safe homes, justice, and change. The incident was one of the deadliest structural fires in the United Kingdom since the 1988 Piper Alpha oil-platform disaster and the worst UK residential fire since World War II.
From Wikipedia, “The fire burned for about 60 hours before finally being extinguished. More than 250 London Fire Brigade firefighters and 70 fire engines from stations across London were involved in efforts to control the fire and rescue residents. More than 100 London Ambulance Service crews on at least 20 ambulances attended the scene, joined by specialist paramedics from the Ambulance Service’s Hazardous Area Response Team. The Metropolitan Police and London’s Air Ambulance also assisted the rescue effort. Findings from the first report of the inquiry were released in October 2019 and addressed the events of the night. It affirmed that the building’s exterior did not comply with regulations and was the central reason why the fire spread and that the fire service was too late in advising residents to evacuate. A second phase to investigate the broader causes began on the third anniversary in 2020“.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge laid a wreath and flowers as a tribute to the 72 victims who lost their lives 5 years ago in the disastrous accident. In the past, there were two more services organized in 2018 and 2019. during the pandemic, the organization arranged for the members of the victims to visit and pay their respect. From The Sunday Times’ report,
“An emotional William and Catherine talked privately to more than a dozen survivors and bereaved — who are yet to see any charges in relation to the fire — and backed their cause. The couple laid a wreath of white flowers at the foot of the tower block in north Kensington. Tiago Alves, 25, who escaped from the 13th floor with his father, mother, and younger sister, spoke to the royals before the wreath-laying. He said: “We were explaining to them what our struggles were, who we were, and what we were doing.”
A 72-second silence was observed in memory of the 72 people who lost their lives.
In 2017 after the fire, The Queen and Prince William visited the survivors, local communities, and emergency responders. Recently, William and Catherine met with the Grenfell survivors in November 2019 at the launch of the National Emergencies Trust.
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
For the day, The Duchess of Cambridge was wearing her white Suzannah Fashion Wiggle Tea Dress that we first saw on Day 2 of the Wimbledon Tournament in July 2019.
The £1850 midi length Italian silk crepe dress has a chic summer vibe to it featuring shirt style collared neckline, contrasting black buttons on the front, and on cuffed styled sleeves with a front slit hemline.
She paired it with her Maria Black Cha-Cha Earrings.
The Duchess wore Alessandra Rich Fab Two-Tone Pumps. Thanks to Heaven for the id.
The Duchess was carrying Emmy London Natasha Clutch in Biscuit tone.
In other news, It’s been reported that The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have chosen Adelaide cottage on Windsor ground for their country home.
The cottage is 10 minutes walk away from The Queen’s residence at Windsor castle. It was refurbished in 2015 so do not need any renovation and as it is on Windsor grounds no extra security is required for the family.
Earlier in the day, The Royal Ascot began with the Royal Pomp and Pageantry after two years. Prince Charles and The Duchess of Cornwall led the Royal Family on day one.
