The King has met survivors of last month’s Huntingdon train mass stabbing, during a special reception at Buckingham Palace.

He shook hands with train guard Samir Zitouni, who was seriously injured as he stepped in to protect passengers.

More than 10 people were hurt in the stabbing on the 6.25pm LNER service from Doncaster to London King’s Cross on 1 November, which diverted to Huntingdon.

The monarch also met Andrew Johnson, who previously served in the Royal Navy, and was driving the service at the time of the attack.

He was praised by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer for his quick thinking when he moved the train on to a slow line.

That decision allowed it to stop at Huntingdon station, leading to a quicker response time by emergency services and potentially saving lives.

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Sky’s Rachael Venables breaks down how the stabbing unfolded.

Mr Zitouni was credited with saving multiple lives, but was left in a critical condition due to injuries he suffered in the attack.

Stephen Crean, a football fan who had been returning home after watching Nottingham Forest’s 2-2 draw with Manchester United, was also injured while fighting back to protect others during the incident.

Mr Crean said he would need plastic surgery following his injuries.

Amira Ostalski, a student who suddenly found herself in danger, said she ran into the buffet car where she picked up a metal tray to protect herself and her friend.

“I was honestly so petrified. I thought in that moment it was the last time I was ever going to be alive. I thought I was going to die,” she said.

Anthony Williams was charged with 10 counts of attempted murder, one count of actual bodily harm and one count of possession of a bladed article following the train attack.

He remains in custody pending further court hearings scheduled for next year.

A nine-year-old girl found dead in Weston-super-Mare has been named on the day police revealed a teenager had been charged with her murder.

Emergency services were called to Lime Close in the Somerset town at 6.09pm on Monday but Aria Thorpe was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said a 15-year-old boy had been charged with her murder and that a preliminary post-mortem found she died from a single stab wound.

The teenage boy – who can’t be named due to his age – will appear at Bristol Magistrates’ Court later today.

A police cordon remains in place as forensics officers continue their work.

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Superintendent Jen Appleford, from Avon and Somerset Police, said the community was in shock and Aria’s family were being supported by police.

“It is impossible to adequately describe how traumatic the past 36 hours have been for them and we’d like to reiterate in the strongest possible terms their request for privacy,” she said.

Supt Appleford said police were working with local schools and other agencies to make sure support is available.

The Duke of Marlborough, formerly known as Jamie Blandford, has been charged with intentional strangulation.

Charles James Spencer-Churchill, a relative of Sir Winston Churchill and Diana, Princess of Wales, is accused of three offences between November 2022 and May 2024, Thames Valley Police said.

The 70-year-old has been summonsed to appear at Oxford Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, following his arrest in May last year.

The three charges of non-fatal intentional strangulation are alleged to have taken place in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, against the same person.

Spencer-Churchill, known to his family as Jamie, is the 12th Duke of Marlborough and a member of one of Britain’s most aristocratic families.

He is well known to have battled with drug addiction in the past.

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Spencer-Churchill inherited his dukedom in 2014, following the death of his father, the 11th Duke of Marlborough.

Prior to this, the twice-married Spencer-Churchill was the Marquess of Blandford, and also known as Jamie Blandford.

His ancestral family home is Sir Winston’s birthplace, the 300-year-old Blenheim Palace in Woodstock.

But the duke does not own the 18th century baroque palace – and has no role in the running of the residence and vast estate.

The palace is a Unesco World Heritage Site and a popular visitor attraction with parklands designed by “Capability” Brown.

In 1994, the late duke brought legal action to ensure his son and heir would not be able to take control of the family seat.

Blenheim is owned and managed by the Blenheim Palace Heritage Foundation.

A spokesperson for the foundation said: “Blenheim Palace Heritage Foundation is aware legal proceedings have been brought against the Duke of Marlborough.

“The foundation is unable to comment on the charges, which relate to the duke’s personal conduct and private life, and which are subject to live, criminal proceedings.

“The foundation is not owned or managed by the Duke of Marlborough, but by independent entities run by boards of trustees.”

The King hosted a reception at Blenheim Palace for European leaders in July last year, and the Queen, then the Duchess of Cornwall, joined Spencer-Churchill for the reveal of a bust of Sir Winston in the Blenheim grounds in 2015.

The palace was also the scene of the theft of a £4.75m golden toilet in 2019 after thieves smashed their way into the palace during a heist.

The duke’s representatives have been approached for comment.