Kate Middleton took to London's Clapham Common this weekend to pay her respects to Sarah Everard, who went missing while walking home on March 3 and was later found dead.
Carrying flowers reportedly picked from her own garden at Kensington Palace, the Duchess of Cambridge joined mourners on Saturday morning. The Duchess, who visited alone and was without any obvious security, blended in with members of the public as she took a few moments of silence at the memorial and read through the cards left by others paying tribute to the 33-year-old marketing executive.
A royal source close to the Duchess revealed to The Mirror that the Duchess “decided to make a private visit after being horrified by Sarah’s tragic murder. She remembers what it is like to walk alone as a young woman in London and elsewhere, and like so many other women, has been thinking deeply about her experiences walking alone at night.”
Before marrying Prince William, Kate shared an apartment with her sister in Chelsea, just over two miles from the site Sarah was last seen before her disappearance. Another source told Hello! that Sarah’s murder had “struck a chord” with the Duchess, and that she felt compelled to “lay some flowers in person.”
The Duchess was caught on camera by fellow mourners who spotted her amongst the crowd. They took to social media to share their views on the Royal’s appearance at the memorial.
“That’s so lovely she’s done that. Makes me quite emotional actually #RIPSarahEverard,” said one. “Good on her,” commented another.
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Kate’s visit came just hours before a peaceful vigil led to clashes between mourners and police officers at Clapham Common. Members of the public gathered at 6pm to show their respects to Sarah Everard and stand in solidarity for women’s safety.
Several politicians have condemned the Metropolitan Police’s handling of the event. London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the footage of police arresting mourners was “unacceptable” and that he is “urgently seeking an explanation” from Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick.
A serving Metropolitan Police officer is currently in custody charged with Sarah's murder.
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