LONDON ROYALS VISIT CASUALTIES
8th July 2005

The Queen and the Prince of Wales have been visiting people caught up in the bomb attacks on London.

Standing in the canteen of the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel the Queen said: "Sadly we in Britain have been all too familiar with acts of terror and members of my generation, especially at this end of London, know that we have been here before.

"But those who perpetrate these brutal acts against innocent people should know that they will not change our way of life. Atrocities such as these simply reinforce our sense of community, our humanity and our trust in the rule of law."

Prince Charles met people at St Mary's Hospital where 36 people were treated after the explosion at nearby Edgware Road station.

After the visit, the Prince of Wales said: "It's been one of the things that many of us have dreaded for a long time and now they have finally got through. What I can never get over is the resilience of the British people who have set us all a fantastic example of how to recover."

The Prince and the Duchess of Cornwall then toured the Metropolitan Police's casualty bureau in Hendon, north London, to see how officers had dealt with thousands of calls from concerned members of the public.

They also met teams who worked to match reports of missing persons with known details about the dead and injured.

Following the Royal couple's visit, civilian police worker Siobhan Swinchatt said: "She said she was proud to be British because everybody was helping each other yesterday. She said it was all about teamwork.

"The Duchess was asking about exactly what we were doing here and the way the system works."

And Prince William is to sign a book of condolence at the British Consulate in Auckland on Saturday.

Clarence House said it was something William, who is continuing his tour of New Zealand, very much wished to do.

The Prince has spoken of his shock at the "terrible events", offering his heartfelt sympathies to those who have lost loved ones.