Prince William praises Christchurch for its response to mosque shootings

The Duke of Cambridge, Prince William, has praised Christchurch for the way it has responded to the mosque attacks and spoken of his optimism "for the future of this great city.''

The Prince has been visiting the city, on behalf of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II,  to meet with survivors of the March 15 mosque shootings, the wider Muslim community and those involved in responding to the terrorist attacks which resulted in the loss of 50 live.

Prince William arrived in the city on Thursday afternoon and met with some of the first responders at the Justice and Emergency Precinct.  

This morning he started his day by visiting Christchurch Hospital where some of the mosque shooting victims are still recovering.  After meeting with several survivors, he visited both the Al Noor and Linwood Masjid.

Speaking at the Al Noor Masjid, Prince William said that in the weeks that followed the followed the mosque attacks, the "moral compass of the world was centred here in Christchurch.''

"You showed the way we must respond to hate - with love,'' he said. "You showed that when a particular community is targeted with prejudice and violence, simple acts – like wearing a headscarf or broadcasting the call to prayer – can reassure those who have reason to be afraid. You showed that an attack designed to divide a society against Muslims only brought us all closer to our Muslim friends,'' the Prince said.

"I stand with you in gratitude for what you have taught the world these past weeks. I stand with you in optimism about the future of this great city. I stand with you in grief for those we have lost, and with support for those who survived.  And I stand with you in firm belief that the forces of love will always prevail over the forces of hate.''

After visiting the two mosques Prince William, who also visited  Christchurch to show his support after the deadly earthquake in 2011, joined Mayor Lianne Dalziel at the Oi Manawa Canterbury Earthquake National Memorial.

There, he laid a wreath at the base of the memorial wall before crossing to the other side of the river to greet some of 300-strong crowd who had gathered there  in the hope of catching a moment with the second-in-line to the throne.