William and Kate had a private meeting with the mother and father of Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, who was a pupil at Farnborough Road Infant and Junior School in the town.
Elsie died along with Bebe King, six, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.
The Prince and Princess of Wales with junior school headteacher Adrian Antell and infant school headteacher Jennifer Sephton during a visit to Farnborough Road Infant and Junior School in Birkdale, Southport (Eddie Mulholland/PA)
Eight other children and two adults were also injured in the knife attack by Axel Rudakubana on July 29 last year.
The royal couple spent more than an hour at the school and around 30 minutes meeting Elsie’s parents Jenni, 36, and David Stancombe, 37, during a private meeting at the school.
Earlier they had been greeted by hundreds of excited children waving Union flags as they arrived.
Students from Farnborough Road Infant and Junior School in Birkdale, where Elsie Dot Stancombe was a pupil, ahead of a visit by the Prince and Princess of Wales (Eddie Mulholland/PA)
Headteachers at the school thanked the royal couple following what they described as a “tremendously stressful” year, after the attack left the local community devastated.
Jennie Sephton, head teacher of the infant school, said: “It’s made such a big difference.
“It was something that Jenni and David wanted them to do right from the beginning.
“It was around the recognition of what staff have done, how they have supported the family, how they have supported the children going forward.
“And it’s just real recognition that they value Jenni and David but they have also listened. It’s just so special.”
The Princess of Wales greets children during a visit to Farnborough Road Infant and Junior School (Eddie Mulholland/PA)
Adrian Antell, head of the attached junior school, said: “I would like to thank the royal couple for coming today and for coming to our school and for coming to Farnborough Road and recognising what we did.
“They spoke so wonderfully about what this community has done together, and they thanked this community for the work they have done, I think that’s really important we get that out.”
William and Kate are carrying out the visit to Southport to show their ongoing support for families and the community after last summer’s fatal knife attack.
The Prince and Princess of Wales with junior school headteacher Adrian Antell and infant school headteacher Jennifer Sephton (Eddie Mulholland/PA)
It is the second time they have been to Southport in the wake of the attack and subsequent widespread rioting.
The royal couple delivered hugs and sympathy after meeting the families of the three girls on a visit to the town last October, where they also praised and thanked emergency workers who responded to the attack.
Earlier, Elsie’s parents were joined by some of the mothers and fathers of children in the infant school, all singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star to occupy the excited youngsters sat in the schoolyard awaiting the special visitors.
A cheer erupted amid a mass of red, white and blue flags waving furiously as William and Kate began their visit.
Both royals spoke to members of the student council, Kate crouching down to speak to infant members while William spoke to the juniors.
The children had only been told minutes before about the special guests visiting their school that day.
Cameron Smith, aged 11 and Ellis Paynter, aged 10, were among the children who greeted the royal visitors.
Ellis said: “We were shocked! I was like, ‘We get to talk to the Prince?’”
Jessica Hazelhurst, aged 10, said: “All of the teachers didn’t get to find out until break time. We all came into school thinking we were getting photos for school council but then it was this.”
Zainah Thompson, 10, said: “We were all very nervous. We talked about what our favourite lessons were.
“He said he wasn’t good at maths, but said it’s a good subject to learn.”