By Sheila Mckenzie-
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge missed the opening day of the Royal Ascott to join bereaved families and survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire to mark its fifth anniversary, and were sombre during most of the service.
The well loved royal couple who looked very sympathetic and affected, joined mourners at the base of the tower for a special service, after meeting several family members during a private meeting earlier. Seventy-two people were killed by the blaze in North Kensington, West London, on 14 June 2017.
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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge also attended a multi-faith service at the base of the tower, organized by the campaign group Grenfell United, in what was a moving and touching occasion. Their presence at the memorial meant a lot for many of the affected families who have long lost faith in politicians and the police for their slow action to deliver or push for anything close to an appearance of justice for the grieving families of those who lives were tragically lost in one of the worst disasters in the Uk for many decades.
The royal family constitutionally have no influence on how matters like these are dealt with, but their the impact of the tragedy was etched on their faces, and their engagement with the people made their emotions over the tragedy tangible.
A 72-second silence was observed by attendees, concluding with applause. The attendance of the duke and duchess was very meaningful for the bereaving families present , a local resident described it as huge. The service is being live-streamed on screens positioned in the surrounding area so the wider community and public can watch
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During the service, actor Tim Downie said: “At today’s service we honour the 72 innocent men, women and children, mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters, sisters, brothers, cousins, aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces and friends who needlessly lost their lives.
“We must never forget them and carry them with us forever in our hearts.”
Many mourners wore green scarves and clothing to match the green hearts that adorn the wall below the tower and which have become a symbol of the tragedy.
Floral tributes and personal notes have been left beside the wall, including a “72” made of white flowers.
Dozens of firefighters lined the streets, with many holding green hearts reading “Grenfell”, and onlookers applauded as the mourners passed.
Rap star Stormzy attended the event Image:PA MEDIA
This year’s memorial was the first in three years. Grenfell United held services on the anniversary of the tragedy in 2018 and 2019, shifting to individual visits to survivors and the grieving during the pandemic
Former prime minister Theresa May, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and Housing Secretary Michael Gove were among those in the congregation.Raheleh Afraseibi, who lost her mother Fatemeh and aunt Sakineh in the fire, said the “catastrophe is never-ending for us”.
“We don’t want them to just say ‘Never forget’, we want it cemented in some way,” she added
Survivor Tiago Alves, 25, told reporters that the Cambridges who met 11 campaigners from Grenfell United, as well as children and some of the bereaved seemed like they “genuinely cared” for their plight.
Tiago said: “They were being introduced to some of the committee members. We were explaining to them what our struggles were, who we were and what we were doing
“They said they were very supportive of what we stood for and what it was we were doing and (said) to keep up the good work.
“It’s always nice having people of that stature being able to empathize with our struggle and with our fight.
“We were trying to give them a slice of what it was like to be us, even if it’s only for five minutes, so they can understand the reason behind why we fight the way we do and the reason why justice is so important
“They said they were very supportive of what we stood for and what it was we were doing and (said) to keep up the good work.
“It’s always nice having people of that stature being able to empathize with our struggle and with our fight.
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