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‘It’s one of the most terrible things I have ever seen’: Queen and Prince William comfort survivors of the Grenfell …

The Queen and her grandson Prince William were met with applause when they dropped in to an emergency shelter in West London this morning to meet the devastated survivors of the Grenfell Tower disaster.  

Her Majesty The Queen, accompanied by HRH The Duke of Cambridge, visited the Westway Sports Centre in White City – a venue that has been a focal point for efforts to support those affected by the deadly inferno inside the high rise.

The royal visitors met volunteers, local residents and community representatives while visiting the shelter, which is in the shadow of the charred remains of the building in west London.

Prince William talked emotionally about the inferno which has claimed the lives of at least 30 people and described it as ‘one of the most terrible things I have ever seen’.

While talking to Penny Appeal charity worker Taksima Ferdous, 31, from east London, The Queen said, ‘You have been incredible, please keep continuing,’ and Prince William shook her hand to say thank you. 

The visit was slightly tarnished by a desperate local who shouted, ‘What about the children?’, at the Queen and Prince William as they left, but The Duke held his hand up in a calm manner and told the man not to worry, reassuring him that they would return.

Queen Elizabeth II meets members of the community affected by the fire at Grenfell Tower in west London during a visit to the Westway Sports Centre which is providing temporary shelter for those who have been made homeless in the disaster

Elizabeth and Prince William meet emergency workers near the scene of the the fire that destroyed the Grenfell Tower block

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Queen Elizabeth II meets firefighters during a visit to the Westway Sports Centre, London, which is providing temporary shelter for those who have been made homeless by the fire at Grenfell Tower.

The heroic firefighters’ blackened helmets show the aftermath of the horrific blaze

The man holds up a poster showing two missing children as Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II leaves the scene as Prince William promises the Royals will return

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Britain’s Queen Elizabeth meets emergency workers near the scene of the the fire that destroyed the Grenfell Tower block

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Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II signs a book of condolences as she visits the scene of the fire that destroyed the Grenfell Tower block in West London

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British Queen Elizabeth II greets the National Health Service (NHS) personnel as she attends a meeting with the residents of Grenfell Tower

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Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Cambridge arrive to meet members of the community affected by the fire at Grenfell Tower in west London during a visit to the Westway Sports Centre

Queen Elizabeth II arrived at the centre wearing a blue outfit and matching hat as she talked solemnly with volunteers and officials.

She was flanked by Prince William in a suit and both headed inside the centre having mingled with those stood outside.

The official death toll now stands at 30, although it is feared that number will rise significantly once workers have gone through the whole building. 

Sky News reported that sources had told them 70 people are missing and feared dead.

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When Prime Minister Theresa May visited Westway yesterday, she stayed for 15 minutes and did not talk to residents, prompting widespread criticism and anger.

Conversely, the Queen and Prince William were applauded when they arrived at 11am today and spent 45 minutes at the centre.

Her Majesty was shown around by a volunteer as they walked past mountains of donated food and boxes of clothes sent in to help those who lost everything in the horror blaze.

As well as meeting survivors and the emergency services, The Queen also mingled with the volunteers at the centre.

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Penny Appeal charity worker Taksima Ferdous, 31, from East London

Her Majesty and Prince William shook hands and listened to stories from the volunteers and residents of the tower.

Penny Appeal charity worker Taksima Ferdous, 31, from east London, said:  ‘The Queen said to me ‘You have been incredible, please keep continuing.

‘Prince William shook my hand and said ‘thank you’, I think his time was quite limited.

‘They both encouraged us, the volunteers, to continue with the work that we are doing.

‘They were thanking us, I think they are grateful.

‘I was overwhelmed just to speak to her, my heart was racing.’

There is a mix of people from Grenfell and Winstable that the charity is looking after – giving them shelter and food.

The Red Cross have been taking names and numbers but don’t have an official figure on how many that are in their care. 

Taksima told MailOnline: ‘It came as a big surprise.

I didn’t know she was coming.

‘She spoke to the families affected and to the workers and volunteers.

‘She asked me about the support we are providing and I told her about the aid and donations and how the community has come together – so much so that we are saying that we don’t need anymore donations.

‘She told me that what we are doing is fabulous and that the response from the community has been incredible.

‘There was a good response to her visit and I think it’s important that she came to show her support for the families.

‘The children were taking photos and were saying things like “I’m a big fan”.

It was a real honour that she came here and I was so honoured to meet her.

‘It’s been great that the whole community has got together.

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Queen Elizabeth II speaks to CEO of the Westway Trust Angela McConville (Second left) during the visit.

They are stood next to a mountain of nappies, bedding and toys for children affected by the blaze

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Queen Elizabeth II visits the Westway Sports Centre where volunteers have been helping survivors of the Grenfell disaster

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Prince William steps in as the Queen is shouted at by a man as the emergency services stand by. The Queen and Prince William visit the Westway Sport Centre in Ladbroke Grove where some of the residents of the Grenfell Tower fire have been seeking shelter

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Queen Elizabeth II meets local residents at the scene of the Grenfell Tower fire on June 16 which has claimed at least 30 lives

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Her Majesty The Queen meets two members of the London Fire Brigade who were tasked with the horrendous task of extinguishing the blaze that ripped through Grenfell Tower

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Queen Elizabeth II waves to the gathered crowd who had descended upon the Westway Sports Centre to meet survivors

The Queen and Duke were greeted by the Lord Lieutenant of Greater London, Ken Olisa, with the shell of the tower block visible in the distance behind them.

The Queen, dressed in blue, stopped to speak to local residents who had gathered outside.

The pair met with volunteers who have coordinated the effort at the centre, in front of tables stacked with donated goods.

William commented to one volunteer, who spoke about the fire: ‘Things like that you never want to see.

‘ 

The Duke told another volunteer: ‘That’s one of the most terrible things I have ever seen.’

A strong campaigner on mental health, William said it was important that those affected talked about the trauma they had witnessed.

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Britain’s Queen Elizabeth visits the scene of the fire that destroyed the Grenfell Tower block, in north Kensington, West London

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The Queen and Prince William meet people affected by Grenfell Tower fire at the Westway Sports Centre in White City

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The Queen is shown around Westway Sports Centre in West London as she walks next to boxes of donated clothes

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Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, centre left, meets people affected by the fire at Grenfell Towers, during a visit to the Westway sports centre

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Queen Elizabeth II looks at donations to members of the community affected by the fire at Grenfell Tower in west London during a visit to the Westway Sports Centre

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The door is opened for Queen Elizabeth II as she waves to the crowds outside the Westway Sports Centre near Grenfell Tower

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Prince William addresses the desperate man who shouted ‘What about the children?’ as the royals were leaving the scene

The Royal visitors spent more than 40 minutes at the centre before leaving in a Range Rover when a moment of controversy occurred.

How MailOnline readers can donate to a charity helping the Grenfell Tower fire victims

The Grenfell Tower fire has prompted an extraordinary outpouring of support from Britons as they try to help the victims both financially and with gifts of food, clothing and other essentials.

And MailOnline readers can donate to a charity co-ordinating efforts to help those whose lives were devastated by clicking here.

The money will go to the Kensington Chelsea Foundation, the company’s local charity partner.

The foundation is coordinating a major funding appeal with support from London Funders and the London Emergency Trust Fund, and has set up a donation page on its website.

Every penny raised on the site will go directly to charities funding the relief effort in the local community, both for those who lost loved-ones and those who lost their homes and all their possessions.

Readers can also donate via cheque. Please make cheques payable to ‘The Kensington Chelsea Foundation’ and send to: Grenfell Tower Appeal, The Kensington Chelsea Foundation, 111–117 Lancaster Road, London W11 1QT.

The gutted block is just over a mile from the MailOnline and Daily Mail offices in Kensington, West London, known as Northcliffe House.

Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT) chairman Lord Rothermere and chief executive Paul Zwillenberg last night announced a £100,000 donation to the charity.

The Queen was speaking to the last policeman before leaving as Prince William was stood waiting when a man started shouting at them.

MailOnline’s Anthony Joseph was outside the sports centre and saw the scenes unfold.

He said: ‘A man about  yards away started shouting, “What about the children? Queen? Queen? What about the children?”.

‘Prince William put his arm up in a kind of calm down way and says: “We’ll come back, we’ll come back, don’t worry, we’ll come back”.

‘The man doing the shouting was holding up pics of his best friend’s family.’ 

The desperate local said his best friend’s family have been missing since the morning of the fire.

Parents Nora and Hashim, their son Yahya and daughter Firdaws were in Grenfell when the fire spread through the tower block.

The friend told MailOnline: ‘The whole family were inside at the time of the fire.

‘I live close so I saw what happened. I just want to know.

I don’t want to talk anymore about it. I’m not ready.

‘ 

Loubna Aghzafi, 42, a local resident, told William that many people she had spoken to were not yet able to their experiences.

He replied: ‘They may want to eventually.

They must talk about it.’

The Queen heard how the community had rallied in the wake of the fire and praised those who had come together, adding their response had ‘come over very strongly’.

Crowds gathered at Westway Sports Centre as the Queen arrived to speak to victims of the fire.

Firefighters, paramedics and police personnel formed a line outside the building to shake hands with Her Majesty.

Elizabeth II spoke to a family of three inside the centre, which has become a respite facility for victims and families of those affected.

One woman, who was inside when the Queen spoke to the families, told MailOnline: ‘It was really nice of her to come.

She just asked them how they were and expressed her sadness at what had happened. She was very well mannered and seemed very sympathetic.

‘It was nice of her to come and speak to people. It was more than Theresa May has done – she didn’t even speak to anyone.

‘But the anger isn’t with her of the the Queen. The damage has been done.

This shouldn’t have been allowed to happen.’ 

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Prince William smiles solemnly at the gathered crowd as he walks towards the Westway Sports Centre in West London

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British Queen Elizabeth II (left) meets with local residents of the Grenfell Tower who are being accommodated at the centre

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Three police officers sand by as The Queen meets a number of emergency services members who were involved in the Grenfell Tower disaster

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Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II waves as she leaves the scene of the fire that destroyed the Grenfell Tower block in west London 

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The Queen crosses her hands in front of her blue coat as she meets the capital’s police officers who are helping in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower horror blaze

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Firefighters look on during a visit by Queen Elizabeth II near the scene of the Grenfell Tower fire. Emergency services will spend a third day searching through the building for bodies.

Police have said that some victims may never be identified

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Queen signs a book of condolence during a visit to Westway Sports Centre in front of heartbreaking posters of those missing after the Grenfell Tower blaze.

Also on the window is the Metropolitan Police’s casualty bureau number – 0800 0961 233

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Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, stands near to a window with photos of missing people, during a visit to the Westway Sports Centre which is providing temporary shelter for those who have been made homeless by the fire at Grenfell Tower, in London

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Prince William shakes hands with a female member of the London Fire Brigade who was involved in the rescue operation 

The Duchess of Cornwall earlier today paid tribute to victims of the devastating fire at Grenfell Tower which has killed at least 17 people and injured scores more.

Camilla, 69, spoke out one day after the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry made personal donations to one of the funds for victims.

Speaking as she attended the final of a children’s creative writing competition on BBC Radio 2, Camilla said: ‘I’m sure all of you here today would like to join me in sending our heartfelt thoughts and prayers to the victims, their families and friends, who were so tragically involved in the horrific fire in North Kensington.’

It also comes after the Queen said her ‘thoughts and prayers’ were with those families who had lost loved ones and praised her braveness of firefighters and generosity of the local community.

William, Kate and Harry, whose Kensington Palace residence is just a few miles from the scene of the disaster in West London, responded to an appeal by the London Evening Standard newspaper’s Dispossessed Fund, which is providing urgent assistance to the hundr left homeless by the devastating fire at the tower block.

They said they hoped their contribution would encourage others to ‘give generously’ to the cause.

A Kensington Palace spokesman said: ‘The tragedy at Grenfell Tower has left a number of local people in need of urgent assistance. As residents of the local area they are keen to offer their immediate support.

‘They hope that by donating to the appeal others in the community who are able will be encouraged to do the same.’ 

On Thursday the Queen paid tribute to the ‘bravery’ of firefighters who battled the fire and praised the ‘incredible generosity’ of volunteers offering their support.

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Firefighters spray water onto the Grenfell Tower block today after it was destroyed in the fire

Meanwhile, in a statement released by Buckingham Palace, the Queen said she and her husband, Prince Philip, wanted pay tribute to members of the emergency services who risked their own lives to save others.

And she said it was ‘heartening’ to see the way people had rallied around those affected.

It read: ‘My thoughts and prayers are with those families who have lost loved ones in the Grenfell Tower fire and the many people who are still critically ill in hospital.

‘Prince Philip and I would like to pay tribute to the bravery of firefighters and other emergency services officers who put their own lives at risk to save others.

‘It is also heartening to see the incredible generosity of community volunteers rallying to help those affected by this terrible event.

ELIZABETH R.’ 

.