Kate Middleton and Prince William React to Australia Stabbing Attack: 'We Are Shocked and Saddened'

"Our thoughts are with all those affected," the royal couple said

Kate Middleton and Prince William are expressing their condolences.

After a stabbing attack took place at a shopping mall in Sydney, Australia, on April 13, the Prince and Princess of Wales reacted with a post shared on their Instagram Stories.

"We are shocked and saddened by the terrible events in Sydney earlier today," Kate, 42, and William, 41, began.

"Our thoughts are with all those affected, including the loved ones of those lost and the heroic emergency responders who risked their own lives to save others," the royal couple continued, signing off their message: "W & C."

The social media post marks Kate's first since her cancer diagnosis announcement. In a self-written speech filmed in the garden of Windsor and shared on March 22, the Princess of Wales said that she is undergoing "preventative chemotherapy" after tests following her abdominal surgery in January "found cancer had been present."

Related: The Moment in Kate Middleton's Cancer Announcement That Was Most 'Natural' and 'Accessible'

In a message of his own, King Charles said, "My wife and I were utterly shocked and horrified to hear of the tragic stabbing incident in Bondi."

"Our hearts go out to the families and loved ones of those who have been so brutally killed during such a senseless attack," he continued. "While details of these shocking circumstances are still emerging, our thoughts are also with those who were involved in the response, and we give thanks for the bravery of the first responders and emergency services."

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Seven people died and others, including a 9-month-old baby, are left in critical condition after a man attacked shoppers with a knife at a mall in Sydney on April 13.

The individual fatally stabbed six people and injured several others at Westfield Shopping Center in Bondi Junction in Sydney in the afternoon, New South Wales Police Force confirmed in a press release. The attacker was shot dead at the scene.

In a news conference, New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb said, per 7News Australia, that among the deceased in the attack are four women and one male, who all died at the shopping center. One woman also died later in the hospital, Webb confirmed in the conference.

The infant, and eight others, meanwhile, were injured and transported to hospitals around Sydney for their injuries, Webb said.

Related: 7 Dead and 9-Month-Old Baby Stabbed as Man Carries Out Knife Attack at a Mall in Australia

During her press conference, Webb also said that police have since closed the shopping area and it will remain closed on April 14 as an investigation is ongoing.

She added that police are confident there is "no ongoing risk."

Detailing how the investigation into the incident will proceed, authorities wrote in their April 13 release, “A critical incident team comprised of State Crime Command’s Homicide Squad and the Central Metropolitan Region will now investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident. The investigation will also be subject to an independent review."

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Alongside Kate and William, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also reacted to the attack on social media.

“I have been briefed by the AFP on the devastating events at Bondi Junction. Tragically, multiple casualties have been reported and the first thoughts of all Australians are with those affected and their loved ones," he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

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