Prince William joins survivors and bereaved at emotional 7/7 memorial

Prince William joined a July 7 memorial ceremony in Hyde Park to mark the 20th anniversary of the terror attacks.

The Prince of Wales bowed his head and talked to survivors and the bereaved for around an hour at the service.

Dressed in a suit and tie, his attendance was not announced in advance and he was one of the last 500 guests to take his seat.

Many families dressed in black could be seen walking over to the monument, made up of 52 steel pillars representing each person that lost their lives in the tragedy in 2005.

Gerald Oppenheim, chairman of the London Bombing Relief Charitable Fund opened the ceremony.

He told the future King: ‘We appreciate all you and members of the Royal Family do for survivors of the 7/7 attacks.’

Survivor David Gardener read the names of all those who were killed in the bombings.

After the service, William joined survivors and the families of the victims for a private reception at a tea tent.

King Charles also called on the nation to remember the ‘extraordinary courage and compassion’ in the face of the horrors of the bombings.

He said his ‘heartfelt thoughts and special prayers’ were with those whose lives were ‘forever changed on that terrible summer’s day’.

He added: ‘The selfless bravery of our emergency services, transport workers, and fellow citizens who rushed towards danger to help strangers reminds us of the very best of humanity in the face of the very worst.’

Floral tributes were laid on a plaque in the grass near the monument listing the names alphabetically earlier in the day by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and London Mayor Sadiq Khan.

They were laid at 8.50am this morning to coincide with the moment the first bomb went off.

Jenni Dunman was a trainee detective at the time and was one of the first at the scene of the 7/7 bombings.

She talked to Metro about the moment it all unfolded and said:  ‘A crackle came through our radios that another bomb was expected to go off, and that was when I truly realised my life was in danger.

‘But as a police officer you can’t let fear wash over you – you have to be there for public and let your sense of duty take over.’

A ceremony was also held at St Paul’s Cathedral this morning, with the Prime Minister and Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh just some of those in attendance.

A tribute at the cathedral saw 52,000 petals fall from the dome as the names of those who died were read by Saba Edwards, daughter of Behnaz Mozakka who died on the Piccadilly line, and Thelma Stober, who survived the Aldgate bomb.

The coordinated bombs hit three London Underground trains and a double-decker bus on the morning of July 7, 2005, killing 52 and injuring 700 others.

They are the worst single terrorist atrocity to have happened on British soil.

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