Grenfell Tower memorial service: Royals to attend St Paul's ceremony 6 months after tragedy
The Prince of Wales and Camilla Duchess of Cornwall will attend a national memorial service for victims of the Grenfell Tower fire at St Paul's Cathedral next week.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry will also attend the service marking six months since the fire that killed 71 people. With the charred remains of the tower block in north Kensington still standing, faith and community leaders along with bereaved families and survivors will join the royals and hundreds more from the community for the ceremony next Thursday.
Prince Harry's fiancée Meghan Markle is not expected to attend.
The Bishop of Kensington, Graham Tomlin, will give a brief address and the audience will hear music from the local Ebony Steel Band, the Portobello Road Salvation Army Band, an Islamic girls' choir from the Al Sadiq and Al Zahra Schools, and the St Paul's Cathedral Choir.
The Bishop of Kensington, Rt Rev Dr Graham Tomlin, said: 'I am sure that the presence of the Royal Family will be a reassurance and support to those at the heart of this service. My hope and prayer is that the occasion will help us remember those who lost their lives, bring comfort and strength to the bereaved, support those who survived, and offer hope for the future.'
Jacqui Haynes, Chair of Lancaster West Residents' Association, said: 'The memorial is a chance for all of us to come together and remember what happened. The fire left 71 dead, including 18 children, and daily we continue to see the impact and damage that fire did. We will stand together in memory and support of victims and families.
'We hope that this memorial is fitting and dignified. The people in Grenfell Tower were forgotten about and ignored before the fire and this is a chance for people across the country to unite and stand with us. Life in the shadow of the Tower is a daily struggle to repair our fractured community, lest we forget what happened that night.'
The service will be broadcast live on BBC1 and tickets are available today only in person on a first-come-first-served basis in North Kensington.
