Prince William worries closure for victims of Grenfell still 'long way off'

Prince William worries closure for victims of Grenfell still 'long way off'

Prince William met with survivors and bereaved relatives of the Grenfell Tower disaster at the stadium of Queens Park Rangers.

William is presented with a shirt

Prince William continued his support of survivors and bereaved relatives of the Grenfell Tower disaster yesterday, fearing that “closure seems a long way off”.

He met them at the stadium of Queens Park Rangers, a mile from the 24-storey tower block in West London where a fire killed 72 people on June 14, 2017.

As the sixth anniversary approaches, he heard how the football club is still helping the local community.

On the day of the fire, a club minibus was dispatched to the tower with bags of clothing, blankets and bottles of water.

Speaking to staff at the ground, William wondered if it was harder for the survivors and bereaved to come to terms with grief because everyone knows the story.

Grenfell Tower clad in memorial sheeting

The Prince, who has taken a close interest in supporting the victims of the fire, said: “One thing I’m worried about is because the community is always together and there are lots of investigations taking place, that closure seems a long way off...I do worry sometimes that the bubble is so big for Grenfell.

"How do they ever have a day when they’re not talking about it?”

Former England international Les Ferdinand, director of football at QPR, told William: “I grew up on the Grenfell estate.

Prince with QPR’s Les Ferdinand 

“What these guys did from day one was absolutely phenomenal. I had a message saying, ‘make sure you open the stadium’.”

The heir to the throne was presented with ­ a football shirt by Grenfell survivor Paul Menacer, 29.

It is from the Grenfell Memorial Cup – an annual game held to help survivors and bereaved.

A public inquiry into the disaster continues and a draft report due by the end of the year.