Prince William and Kate Middleton have joined an emotional service to remember the 72 who lost their lives in the devastating Grenfell tower block blaze.
On the fifth anniversary of the disaster, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have joined bereaved families and survivors for a multi-faith service at the base of Grenfell Tower.
William and Kate were seen sitting in the front row of the anniversary service after speaking with attendees.
Hundreds of people have gathered in the shadow of the North Kensington tower for the service, where a silence is being held for those who died in the inferno on June 14, 2017.
A 72-second silence was observed at the base of the tower by attendees including the royals. Kate, 40, was wearing a white dress for the service as William, 39, paid his respects in a suit and tie.
They chatted with attendees before taking their seats in the front row for a multi-faith service at the base of the north Kensington high-rise on Tuesday.
At the conclusion of the silence applause broke out.
The Duke and The Duchess previously accompanied the Queen, 96, to meet those affected by the fire in June 2017, greeting local residents, members of the community and emergency responders.
Kate and William most recently met Grenfell survivors during a visit to mark the launch of the National Emergencies Trust, of which The Duke is a patron, back in November 2019.
It follows a memorial service this morning at Westminster Abbey, during which one of the abbey bells tolled 72 times in memory of the 72 men, women and children who lost their lives in the fire.
All 72 names of those who died were read allowed at the start of the service before London-based Syrian Rihab Azar played her oud, an Arabic instrument.
The abbey fell silent, tears were wiped and heads were held in hands during her poignant performance.
Veteran Journalist Jon Snow then gave a powerful reading in which he demanded that those responsible “are called to account” for their roles in the tragedy.
“The community and survivors need to be ensured that the inquiry will lead to prosecutions”, Snow said during his address.
“Grenfell being set in the richest borough in Britain speaks to the grotesque inequality with which our society is ridden.
“Grenfell is the worst domestic tragedy I have covered in 50 years of journalism. Those responsible must face justice.”
Eight-year-old Ayeesha, who survived the fire, recited a poem she wrote called Never Forget.
She said: "We will stay strong, we will rise up as a community, we will fight for justice together, we will always remember our friends and our neighbours, we will always remember our home.
"We can't change the past but we can change the future. Never forget."
The little girl smiled as she ended the poem and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge could be seen smiling as they joined in applause.
At 6.30pm tonight, survivors will join bereaved families as well as community groups for a silent walk from the base of the tower as firefighters form a guard of honour.
It comes after they released 18 green balloons in west London to represent each child who died there five years ago.
The name of each child was read out as each ballon is released at the anniversary service.
Theresa May, who was Prime Minister when the fire happened five years ago, spoke to volunteers ahead of the service. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and Housing Secretary Michael Gove were among those in attendance.
Imran Khan QC, who represents the bereaved and survivors at the inquiry into the disaster, also delivered a powerful speech on their behalf.
“Many bereaved and survivors have told me they have little faith in the inquiry, the police investigation or the government affecting change for the future,” he said.
He said this was reflected in the government’s “shameful” rejection of the key recommendation of phase one of the inquiry - to scrap the “stay put” policy in the event of a fire.
For those in positions of authority present at the service, he said: “Thank you for coming, your presence is important.
“But (bereaved and survivors), through me, do want to ask you this.
“Whilst you’re here today, where were you before the fire? Because everyone knew the fire was going to happen. It was inevitable.
“Where were you when residents complained about the lack of safety doors?
“Where were you when they complained about the refurbishment?
“Where were you when combustible cladding was placed on high-rise buildings across the country?
“Where were you when those responsible for the fire put profit before people?
“You were not there.”
He said they “could be forgiven” for not knowing the problems relating to the tower at the time, and “maybe for not doing something at the time” - but not for doing nothing now.
“You will show a comforting smile or give a hug,” he continued.
“Then you will walk out the door and you will go back to your families.
“They will go back to empty houses. No longer will they be able to tuck their children into bed and read them a story.
“Every morning they wake up knowing their parents or families cannot be there to celebrate milestones. They will be haunted daily with the guilt of what they could or should have done to save their loved ones. “All because of a fire that should not have happened.
“And they have to fight for justice. If nothing changes, they say those who lost their lives died in vain.
“When you do walk out the door today, remember this: There are no excuses for not doing something now.
“Whilst you’re welcome here today, if you fail to act or assist the bereaved and survivors in their fight for justice, if you do nothing in the next 365 days before the next anniversary, you will, I’m sorry to say, not be welcome then."
Grenfell United, the bereaved and survivors’ group, said in a statement yesterday: “Today, we remember the 72 beautiful souls lost that night. To ensure their memories live on.
“Those in power called them “nameless”. They were not nameless. They were treasured, loved and ours.
“Five years on, another Grenfell is still a very real possibility. This Government should feel ashamed at its complete lack of action and continued carelessness for the 72 lives so needlessly lost.
“We are enraged at the Government, whose sole focus continues to be profit and not public safety.”
It emerged last month the government is set to keep the controversial “stay-put” policy, meaning residents should remain in their flats in the event of a fire on the basis that the flames should be compartmentalised.
It was a key recommendation of phase one of the inquiry to scrap that policy in the wake of Grenfell.
“Five years on, the Government has reverted back to the same (stay-put) policy in place before Grenfell.
“This policy resulted in 41% of those living with disabilities dying at Grenfell”.
On justice, the group said: “What is the point of an Inquiry if nothing comes from it? Look at the history of Inquiries in this country. Are Inquiries there to slow down justice? To deny justice?
“They left us to search for answers, they mocked us publicly, now they stand in the way of justice. We must pave a new way forward. We must hold those responsible to account”.
