Kate Middleton and Prince William paid their respects to the victims of the June 12 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida, on Tuesday, June 14.
The Duchess of Cambridge, 34, and Prince William, 33, visited the U.S. Embassy in the the London Chancery Building in Grosvenor Square. They arrived at 11 a.m. local time and stayed for approximately 15 minutes.
Kensington Palace posted photos of the royals on its official Twitter account. “The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will briefly visit the U.S. Embassy this morning to sign a book of condolence for the Orlando nightclub shooting,” the caption read. The book was placed in front of a flag that was previously presented to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by the Kaleidoscope Trust (an international LGBT rights group).
Grateful to welcome TRH Duke & Duchess of Cambridge @USAinUK to sign our condolence book for the victims of Orlando. pic.twitter.com/H6tqcKnIgz
— U.S. Embassy London (@USAinUK) June 14, 2016
“With our deepest condolences and with our thoughts and prayers to all those affected,” the couple signed.
Additionally, a source tells Us Weekly that the parents of Prince George and Princess Charlotte met with the U.S. Ambassador and reps from the U.S. Embassy’s LGBT network GLIFA. The source adds: “Prince Harry was unable to join them but he has been speaking at length to people out in Orlando privately because he spent a significant amount of time out there recently for the Invictus Games.”
As previously reported, 49 people were killed and 53 left wounded at Pulse, a popular gay nightclub in Orlando, on Sunday morning. (Authorities changed the initial death count from 50 to 49 to exclude the shooter on Monday.) Gunman Omar Mateen, 29, reportedly called 911 to pledge his allegiance to ISIS before the attack. He was killed a few hours later.
The rampage is now the most deadly mass shooting in U.S. history. In the wake of the tragedy, thousands have lined up to donate blood, and vigils have been held worldwide. On Monday, supporters showed up to pay their respects in the streets of Orlando. The Eiffel Tower in Paris also lit up in rainbow colors in solidarity with the LGBT community.
