Police sealed off the heavily Jewish neighborhood of Golders Green in northwest London on Thursday, but unlike the lockdown following last month’s terrorist stabbing attack that wounded two Jewish men, residents this time welcomed the security presence as crowds gathered to greet King Charles III.

The king visited the headquarters of Jewish Care, a major nonprofit health and social care organization serving the Jewish community, where he met the two victims who were stabbed only steps away from the building. The visit was intended as a show of solidarity with Britain’s increasingly targeted Jewish population.

British Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, who attended alongside Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley, told the monarch that the visit meant a great deal to the victims, 34-year-old Shloime Rand and 76-year-old Norman Shine.

Rabbi Mirvis later posted on Facebook: “Thank you, your Majesty, for coming today to Golders Green to bring comfort and encouragement to our Jewish community.”

Large crowds lined the streets to welcome Charles, with many shouting, “Long live the King,” as he arrived. Some residents learned of the visit in synagogue, while others heard the news while shopping in the neighborhood, including at Kosher Kingdom.

Speaking afterward, Shine, who suffered a stab wound to the neck, described the encounter with the monarch as deeply moving.

“The most inspiring thing was that he didn’t let go of my hand,” said Shine. “I mean, it was amazing. He is the king, but I felt a genuine warmth and concern.”

Somali-born Essa Suleiman, 45, has been charged with three counts of attempted murder over the April 29 attack. Prosecutors say he first attempted to kill another man before stabbing Rand and Shine.

The Golders Green visit came one day after Charles delivered the King’s Speech at the opening of Parliament, during which he presented government plans for tougher legislation aimed at combating rising antisemitism and improving protections for Britain’s Jewish community. The visit also coincided with a letter published by Prince Harry, who remains estranged from the king, in which he condemned the country’s “deeply troubling” surge in antisemitism.

The stabbing attack marked the latest in a series of violent incidents targeting British Jews amid record antisemitism following Israel’s wars in Gaza and Iran, both triggered by the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre.

During Yom Kippur services in Manchester this past October, two men were murdered in a terror attack. In March, arsonists torched four ambulances belonging to the Jewish volunteer emergency service Hatzola. The Community Security Trust reported that 3,700 antisemitic incidents targeting Britain’s Jewish population of roughly 290,000 were recorded over the past year.

While visiting Jewish Care, Charles also met members of Shomrim, the Jewish volunteer security organization whose members responded to the stabbing scene and helped capture the attacker.

Outside the building, the king spent time speaking with local Jewish residents who had gathered hoping to see him.

“It’s a dangerous world, isn’t it?” Charles remarked while talking with members of the crowd. After one resident described the April 29 attack as “horrific,” the king replied: “I know.”

Buckingham Palace said the purpose of the visit was to “reaffirm his steadfast support” for Britain’s Jewish community following the recent attack and growing fears over antisemitism.

During the visit, Charles was presented with a challah loaf from the famed Grodz bakery, a beloved London institution for more than 100 years. He also greeted children from a nearby primary school. Behind them hung a sign decorated with London buses and featuring the bracha made on seeing a king.

The royal visit also carried historical significance. Charles’s grandmother, Princess Alice of Battenberg, was honored as Righteous Among the Nations for rescuing Jews during the Holocaust.

One woman in attendance, who identified herself only as Leah, explained the meaning of the blessing displayed for the king in an interview with the Times of Israel.

“The Jewish people revere monarchy, whether they’re Jewish or not. And we are given an opportunity of making a special blessing when you see monarchy in real life, whether a king or a queen,” she said, noting that it differs from the prayer recited for the royal family in synagogue each Shabbos morning. “It’s a special blessing to thank them for the ability to live safely and for sharing the honor of their kingdom with us — and that is what we all hope to say now.”

Another resident, Yakir, said he rushed to join the crowd after hearing in shul Thursday morning that the king was coming.

“He should know what’s going on in the world and hopefully things will get better. It must stop,” Yakir said regarding antisemitism in Britain.

Susan Winegarten, 77, stood holding the wording of the royal blessing on her phone while accompanied by her granddaughter. She told The Times of Israel she had previously recited the blessing when she watched the royal procession for Princess Diana’s funeral and later when attending a Buckingham Palace garden party with her husband.

Winegarten also recalled attending the coronation procession of Queen Elizabeth II when she was just four years old. She called Charles’s visit during such a painful period for the Jewish community “lovely.”

The stabbing attack happened only a short distance from Winegarten’s home.

“It was crazy,” she said. “The roads were all blocked. I couldn’t get out, even to walk.”

Having spent nearly her entire life in Golders Green, Winegarten said she never imagined such violence could strike her neighborhood.

“It just doesn’t seem real,” she said.