William and Kate will attend unveiling of the Manchester Arena bombing memorial

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will attend the official opening of Manchester Arena bombing memorial ahead of the fifth anniversary of the terror attack. William and Kate will join bereaved families at a private ceremony on May 10, the council has confirmed.

Suicide bomber Salman Abedi killed himself and 22 others when he detonated a device in his backpack as concert-goers were leaving an Ariana Grande gig at Manchester Arena on May 22, 2017. A thousand others were injured, some of them seriously.

Families of those who lost loved ones in the attack will join the Duke and Duchess, and other civic dignitaries, at what is described as an 'intimate private ceremony' a few days before the anniversary.

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The Duke will speak during the short ceremony before he and the duchess are taken on a walk around the Glade of Light memorial. Kate will lay flowers along with Manchester Council leader Coun Bev Craig.

The royal couple will meet privately with families inside nearby Manchester Cathedral after the opening event. The Duke of Cambridge previously attended the national service of commemoration at the cathedral in May 2018, marking the first anniversary of the Islamic State-inspired terror attack.

The Glade of Light is a garden memorial created as a space for reflection and remembrance. Its centrepiece is a white marble halo bearing the names of the 22 people who lost their lives.

Families of those who lost loved ones have been able to place personalised memory capsules, containing mementos and messages, inside the halo.

Conceived by designers BCA Landscape and Smiling Wolf as a living memorial, the Glade of