Manchester bombing survivor attends royal wedding, snaps photo with David Beckham

It's been an emotional year for Amelia Thompson. The 12-year-old survivor of the May 2017 bombing at Manchester Arena was in disbelief when she learned she would be attending the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. 

Thompson's mother, Lisa Newton, had secretly submitted a request for her daughter's invitation to the royal wedding when she learned that 1,200 members of the public would be admitted to the grounds of Windsor Castle, according to Reuters.

Just 12 months earlier, she was in direct line of sight to an explosion that rocked the Manchester Arena as 14,000 concert goers exited the stadium after an Ariana Grande performance. Hundreds were injured and 22 killed by the blast of a suicide attacker's explosive.

When Thompson learned that her invite to the royal wedding came with a plus one, her choice of guest was clear: Sharon Goodman, grandmother of 15-year-old Olivia Campbell-Hardy, who was one of seven children killed in the Manchester bombing.

Newton was understanding and supportive of her daughter's choice. "Their family lost something so precious and I've still got Amelia," she told BBC News.

Together, Thompson and Goodman brought a candle to light in memory of Campbell-Hardy and the other victims of the tragic event a year earlier. 

Outside St. George's Chapel, where the wedding took place, Thompson got a hug from sympathetic soccer star David Beckham, who posed for a photo.

Thompson has continued to work on her career as an actress and in other performing arts, but her recovery has been an emotional journey, including work with a therapy horse.

In:
• Prince Harry Duke of Sussex
• Meghan Duchess of Sussex
• David Beckham