Prince William broke royal protocol and hugged a survivor of the London fire

Last Wednesday, news of a fire at the Grenfell Tower in London broke and through photos and videos, we witnessed a 24-story building go up in flames. On Friday, Queen Elizabeth II and her grandson made a visit to a crisis center, where Prince William hugged a victim of the fire — it was a sweet gesture of comfort that also broke royal protocol.

Touching members of the royal family has been historically reserved for only handshakes, but the prince was so moved by the story of 78-year-old Fatima Jafaria, a distressed woman who was reportedly desperate to find her husband who was trapped in an elevator during the time of the fire, that the royal embraced her instead.

Tmww's SundayMirror front: A remarkable picture of Prince William comforting a woman whose husband is feared dead in the #Grenfell tragedy. pic.twitter.com/cKm6MRQKWg — Nick Owens (@NicholasOwens) June 17, 2017

It was a heartbreaking visit as Queen Elizabeth and Prince William heard the stories of other survivors, victims’ families, and rescue workers who were affected by the Grenfell Tower inferno — which has left 79 people dead or missing.

Prince William spoke emotionally about the visit, describing it as “one of the most terrible things I have ever seen,” according to the Daily Mail.

The Queen and husband Prince Philip released a statement expressing sympathy to those affected.

“My thoughts and prayers are with those families who have lost loved ones in the Grenfell Tower fire and the many people who are still critically ill in hospital,” the Queen said. “Prince Philip and I would like to pay tribute to the bravery of firefighters and other emergency services officers who put their own lives at risk to save others.”

“It is also heartening to see the incredible generosity of community volunteers rallying to help those affected by this terrible event,” she continued.

William, Princess Kate, and Prince Harry also made a donation to a fund to help the families who were left homeless by the tragedy.

At the end of the day, we’re all human, and it warms our hearts to see that the prince chose compassion over protocol. We’re sending so much love to Fatima and everyone else affected by this tragedy.