Princess Kate beams in gorgeous chocolate brown coat dress in rare public appearance

Princess Kate stunned in a chocolate brown coat dress as she joined Prince William's side to meet members of the local community in Southport as well as bereaved families.

The Prince and Princess of Wales first released an emotional message just hours after a teen with a knife killed three children and injured others during a knife attack in Merseyside in the summer, on July 29.

Posting on social media, the royals and parents of Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, wrote: "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."

"We send our love, thoughts and prayers to all those involved in this horrid and heinous attack. Thank you also to the emergency responders who, despite being met with the most horrific scenes, demonstrated compassion and professionalism when your community needed you most.

Arriving to meet members of the community, Kate wore a chocolate ankle-length coat with buttons down the middle and held on to a dark-coloured, matching clutch bag. Underneath her coat, Kate wore an on-trend burgundy and white polka dot dress.

Kate's signature long brown locks were in loose waves, and she wore a pair of dark brown heels for the engagement.

Prince William also dressed smartly for the visit, wearing dark trousers and a matching burgundy jumper with a white shirt and reddish tie. He wore a dark-coloured blazer to complete his outfit.

Today marks Princess Kate's first public engagement of 2024, as previous appearances including Trooping the Colour and Wimbledon have not been official duties.

Although the Princess of Wales was not meant to visit Southport today, she felt well enough to attend the engagement with her husband to show her support and compassion with members of the local community.

Kate and William both believe it is important to visit the Merseyside town to show the community they have not been forgotten and that they’ll continue to stand by the Southport community today and in the future, after the three young girls were tragically killed. Ten others, including eight children, were seriously injured in the attack at a Taylor-Swift-themed dance workshop.

They will privately met with the families of victims Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine.

In August, King Charles first travelled to the town to meet survivors of the knife attack that claimed the lives of three young girls and he expressed his "sympathy and empathy" for the people of Southport.

Princess Kate and Prince William also spent time with the dance teacher who was present when the attack happened.

In a separate engagement, the senior royal couple will meet with emergency responders who were involved in the attack, at Southport Community Centre.

The Princess of Wales's attendance today is a promising indication that she is recovering well. In the last month, she has also undertaken a number of official meetings which have been listed in the Court Circular focusing on her Early Years work and her Christmas Carol Service.

On October 10, Prince Andrew's ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, praised the Princess of Wales for "showing the world what it is to really look after yourself".

The Duchess of York, appeared on ITV1's This Morning, and spoke about how she was "so moved" by Kate's video last month announcing the end of her cancer treatment.