In the wake of a high-profile week for the royal family following Oprah Winfrey's tell-all interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Kate Middleton made time to pay respects to a young woman whose death has caused much turmoil in London.
On Saturday, March 13, the Duchess of Cambridge made an unannounced visit to the memorial of Sarah Everard. The 33-year-old marketing executive disappeared off a London street on March 3, and her remains were confirmed to have been found on March 12.
Wayne Couzens, an elite officer with London Metropolitan Police's diplomatic protection command, has been charged with her murder, according to NBC News.
Of Kate's appearance at the memorial, where she placed flowers for the victim, a 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."
Late Friday night, Sarah's vigil, which was held in South London near where she was last seen, turned into an anti-violence rally, according to The New York Times. Some women were arrested in standoffs with the police.
On social media, thousands of women have come out to share their own stories of being harassed on the street and being made to feel unsafe, including stars like Game of Thrones' star Nathalie Emmanuel, who wrote on Twitter, "Being followed is a pretty regular occurrence... whether it is on foot or by men in cars... I've had to run into shops so I can feel safe and stifle a panic attack."
Another vigil was to be held in Clapham Common on Saturday night. However, the event was canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Metropolitan Police Commander Catherine Roper said in a statement about the cancellation of the event, "As a woman and a police officer, I want nothing more than for women to feel safe and protected by the police. But we need to be clear. Our city is still in a battle with Covid-19 with people continuing to be infected and sadly losing their lives. Only a few weeks ago our [National Health Service] was at breaking point, we cannot risk undoing all the hard work to reduce the infection rate."