Kate Middleton broke major royal protocol in first public appearance with Prince William since cancer treatment ended

Kate Middleton broke major royal protocol in her first public appearance with Prince William last week.

Last Thursday (10 October), the Princess of Wales made a surprise public appearance with William in their first official engagement since her cancer treatment ended.

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

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

The royals 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.

However, reports have since emerged that Kate broke traditional royal etiquette after embracing several of the emergency responders during the visit.

Etiquette typically prohibits people touching those in the royal family unless they initiate contact first.

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service's Chief fire officer Phil Garrigan opened up about his experiences on the day, saying he had a 'really lovely fleeting conversation' with Kate and Will.

Kate Middleton and Prince William made an unannounced trip to meet with the families of the Southport stabbing victims (Danny Lawson - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

"The Princess of Wales broke off and came back into the building to give a hug to the people who responded because she could see the emotion in them and could see it was difficult for them to relay their feelings and to say how impactful events have been," he said.

"I think that just shows a really caring side and is very, very touching for them."

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."

Following the stabbings, far-right riots broke out in Southport with the local mosque targeted and a popular convenience shop attacked. There was also 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.

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, 8am–8pm seven days a week.