Queen visits young victims of 'very wicked' Manchester attack

The Queen has spoken to young victims of the Manchester arena suicide bombing on a visit to a hospital in the city, telling them the attack was “very wicked”.

She arrived at Royal Manchester children’s hospital on Thursday morning and spoke to staff who had treated victims of the explosion.

Meeting clinicians, doctors, nurses and porters, the Queen congratulated them on “coming together”. She told a member of staff: “The awful thing was that everyone was so young. The age of them.”

Speaking to Evie Mills, 14, who was also visited by the prime minister on Tuesday, the Queen described the attack as “dreadful”.

“Very wicked,” she said, “to target that sort of thing.”

The Queen asked 15-year-old Millie Robson, who sustained leg injuries and wore an Ariana Grande T-shirt for the royal visit, whether she had enjoyed the concert before the attack, describing Grande as a “very good singer”. Millie had won VIP passes to the concert, meeting the singer backstage before the show.

The attack was “very alarming”, the Queen said, telling Millie’s father David – who was waiting for his daughter at the arena’s exit when the bomb exploded – that it was “not something you expect at all”.

Emily Murrell, 12, was forced to miss the royal visit as she was undergoing surgery. Her mother Ruth, who is recovering from shrapnel wounds, said her daughter would be incredibly disappointed. Ruth was waiting with a friend to collect their daughters when the bomb exploded. Her friend died in the blast.

The Royal Manchester children’s hospital is treating 14 children who were at the concert. A total of 75 people were admitted to eight hospitals after the attack on Monday night.