Kate Middleton pays tribute to Sarah Everard, joins mourners 'to show unity' with those outraged by her murder
Kate Middleton was one of the emotional mourners at Clapham who paid tribute to Sarah Everard on Saturday. The Duchess of Cambridge made a private visit to the memorial in Clapham Common, an area near Everard's home in Brixton, where she was seen walking before her disappearance on March 3. According to a source from the Palace: "The Duchess wanted to pay her respects to Sarah and her family."
According to The Sun, the source added: "She remembers what it felt like to walk around London at night before she got married." Kate laid daffodils that were picked from Kensington Palace and stood there for around five minutes as she looked at all the flowers and the cards that were kept in honor of the 33-year-old.
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“Kate also wanted to show unity to everyone else who is having the same feelings right now. She wanted to do it privately and felt it was the right thing to do. There was no fanfare," the source said. The vigil also saw some clashes as the police moved in to clear the people who had gathered at the site.
According to The Sun, there were 31 vigils planned to take place at 6 pm across the UK, but the police swooped in to ban the event due to COVID restrictions. Despite the ban, there were still a small number of people who gathered at the bandstand to pay their respects. The canceling saw some flak coming in.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: “The scenes in Clapham this evening are deeply disturbing." He added: “Women came together to mourn Sarah Everard — they should have been able to do so peacefully. I share their anger and upset at how this has been handled. This was not the way to police this protest.”
Everard disappeared on March 3 while walking home. This led to an extensive search. On Friday, police confirmed that remains found over 50 miles from where she was last seen belonged to Everard, as per a CNN report. The Metropolitan Police have made an announcement saying that a "serving police constable" has been charged in court "with the kidnap and murder" of Everard. The officer, Wayne Couzens, appeared at the Westminster Magistrates Court on Saturday for his first hearing. His next hearing is slated for Tuesday.
"A woman, aged in her 30s, who was arrested at the same time as Couzens on suspicion of assisting an offender, has been released on bail to return to a police station on a date in mid-April," authorities added in their statement, noting that the investigation is still ongoing.
PM Boris Johnson and his fiancée Carrie Symonds lit candles for Everard. Talking about the incident, he said: "I cannot imagine how unbearable their pain and grief is. We must work fast to find all the answers to this horrifying crime. I will do everything I can to make sure the streets are safe and ensure women and girls do not face harassment or abuse."