The Duke of Cambridge spoke of living with his own grief as he told families of those murdered in the Manchester Arena bombing that their lost loved ones would ‘never be forgotten’.

Prince William said he knew the ‘pain and the trauma has not gone away’ as he and Kate Middleton attended the opening of the Glade of Light memorial, which honours the 22 lives cruelly ripped away in the terror attack.

As the fifth anniversary approaches, the royal used song lyrics ‘written by some of this city’s most famous sons’ as he praised Mancunians for refusing to look back in anger and responding to hate with love.

William briefly referenced his late mother Princess Diana during his heartfelt speech, before some relatives of victims sobbed as a choir sang Halo by Beyonce.

A white marble ‘halo’ at the centre of the new memorial bears the names of those killed and personalised memory capsules, containing mementos and messages.

‘For Catherine and I it is very important that we are with you here today. To remember the 22 lives so brutally taken’, the duke said.

‘To acknowledge the hundreds of lives that were irrevocably changed and to pay tribute to the resilience of this great city.

‘I remember only too well the shock and grief on the faces of those I met when I visited Manchester in the days following the atrocity.

Remembering the victims of the Manchester Arena bombing

Those who died in the attack were:

Saffie-Rose Roussos, aged eight, from Preston

Sorrell Leczkowski, 14, from Leeds

Eilidh MacLeod, 14, from the Isle of Barra

Nell Jones, 14, from Cheshire

Olivia Campbell-Hardy, 15, from Bury

Megan Hurley, 15, from Liverpool

Georgina Callander, 18, from Hesketh Bank

Liam Curry, 19, and Chloe Rutherford, 17, both from South Shields

Courtney Boyle, 19, and Philip Tron, 32, from Gateshead

John Atkinson, 28, from Manchester

Martyn Hett, 29, from Stockport

Kelly Brewster, 32, from Sheffield

Angelika Klis, 39, and Marcin Klis, 42, from York

Elaine McIver, 43, from Cheshire

Michelle Kiss, 45, from Whalley, Lancs

Alison Howe, 44, and Lisa Lees, 43, both from Oldham

Wendy Fawell, 50, from Otley and Jane Tweedle, 51, from Blackpool

‘Five years on I know that the pain and the trauma felt by many has not gone away.

‘As someone who lives with his own grief, I also know that what often matters most to the bereaved is that those we have lost are not forgotten.

‘There is comfort in remembering. In acknowledging that, while taken horribly soon, they lived. They changed our lives.

‘They were loved, and they are loved. It is why memorials such as the Glade of Light are so important. Why Catherine and I so wanted to be amongst you today.’

Saying he hoped the public memorial could be a place of solace, he continued: ‘When the people of Manchester gathered to pay respects to the victims just days after the atrocity, you told the world that your music would not be silenced.

‘Instead, you raised your voices together and you sang a song of love that was written by some of this city’s most famous sons.

‘On that day you told each other that you would not look back in anger. And you showed the world the true heart of this extraordinary place. So, when we come to this memorial let’s look back with love for those we lost.

‘Let’s look back with love for the people who cared for and protected this community. And let’s look back with love for the ongoing strength of the great city of Manchester.’

Kate laid flowers before the pair went to a private reception inside Manchester Cathedral to speak to some of the bereaved and brave emergency services workers who helped with the attack.

The royal couple had quickly travelled up to Manchester after William watched his father give the Queen’s Speech for the first time in Parliament

The Bishop of Manchester said the 22 victims would be ‘forever in our hearts’, while Joanne Roney, the chief executive of Manchester City Council heralded the people of Manchester for coming together in ‘sorrow and love’.

Each of the victim’s names were read out followed by a period of silence honouring the lives lost.

Hundreds of people were also injured when terrorist Salman Abedi detonated his shrapnel-packed rucksack bomb on May 22, 2017.

The bomber’s younger brother, Hashem Abedi, was jailed for life in March 2020 and must serve 55 years before parole, for his part in the terror plot.

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