Kate Middleton quietly joins memorial for murder victim Sarah Everard before police chaos erupts

Elise Solé
·4 min read
81

Kate Middleton quietly joined mourners at a memorial for Sarah Everard, a kidnapped and murdered British woman, shortly before the vigil erupted into police chaos.

In a video captured by Sky News, the Duchess of Cambridge, 39, was depicted at the vigil in Clapham Common, a district in South London, silently moving through the crowd and leaving flowers at the site. A representative of Kensington Palace did not immediately return Yahoo Life's request for comment, however, a royal source told People, "She wanted to pay her respects to Sarah and her family. She remembers what it felt like to walk around London at night."

The remains of Everard, 33, a marketing executive from Brixton, were found on Wednesday in a wooded area in Kent, one week after her March 3 disappearance at 9:30 p.m., according to the New York Times, shortly after leaving a friend's house on foot. On Friday, police identified the body as Everard and Officer Wayne Couzens, 48, of the Metropolitan Police Service, was charged with kidnapping and killing the woman. He appeared in court on Saturday.

“I speak on behalf of all my colleagues when I say that we are utterly appalled at this dreadful, dreadful news,” police commissioner Cressida Dick said, adding that Couzens's arrest had sent “shock waves and anger through the public and through the Met," as reported by the Times.

In the week between Everard's disappearance and the discovery of her body, women across the world began sharing their experiences with sexual harassment and assault. One woman tweeted about being verbally abused by a man driving his employer's car and when she contacted his supervisor, she was given an apology for "the inconvenience." Another teen wrote that she is currently too frightened to leave her home and another shared that she once slapped a male colleague for grabbing her breast and he mocked her in return. Radio-and-television presenter Shelagh Fogarty published a thread about abuse starting from age 10 and Game of Thrones actress Nathalie Emmanuel tweeted that she has been sexually assaulted "countless time." The hashtag #NotAllMen also spread.

On Friday, Reclaim These Streets, a group of women that organized Everard's memorial axed the event due to police concern that a large gathering would increase cases of COVID-19. The group also claimed that each organizer risked a $14,000 fee for ignoring orders. "We’re protesting against violence against women, and we’re being shut down by the police,” said organizer Jamie Klingler, according to the Times. “I’m baffled." A representative for the group did not immediately return Yahoo Life's request for comment.

However, on Saturday, people crowded the park with signs that read, "Women shouldn't have to live in fear," "How many more?" and "She was walking home." While mourners clashed with police, who made multiple arrests. "The scenes from Clapham Common are unacceptable," London mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted. "The police have a responsibility to enforce Covid laws but from images I've seen it's clear the response was at times neither appropriate nor proportionate. I'm [in] contact with the Commissioner & urgently seeking an explanation."

On March 13, thousands gathered in Clapham Common in London to mourn Sarah Everard, a British woman who was kidnapped and murdered. (Photo: David Cliff/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
On March 13, thousands gathered in Clapham Common in London to mourn Sarah Everard, a British woman who was kidnapped and murdered. (Photo: David Cliff/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

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