Kate Middleton joined thousands of people at the vigil for Sarah Everard, the 33-year-old woman who was kidnapped and killed by a police officer in South London. The Duchess of Cambridge appeared like any regular person, dressed in olive coat and jeans, who wanted to pay tribute to the victim of a violent crime.
One attendee who noticed the Duchess of Cambridge said that her security people weren't obvious around her. She blended with the crowd and appeared to be "quite emotional" as she laid down daffodils among a sea of flowers, according to witnesses.
Insiders said that the duchess wanted to personally pay her respects to the victim because she recalls her former life in London as someone who also walked home at night after work. Kate used to live in Chelsea with her younger sister, Pippa and worked at a clothing store before marrying Prince William in 2011.
However, some are calling out Kate for breaking not just royal protocols but the lockdown rules. Hundreds of women rounded up the vigil at Clapham Common Park with the Duchess of Cambridge, despite warnings from the police that it was not safe to gather in large crowds amid the pandemic.
Speaking to the public, Prime Minister Boris Johnson dodged the question about the duchess' alleged lockdown breach. Instead, Johnson said that the reality of it is everyone is in shock and in grief over the death of Everard and that their focus is creating stricter measures against rapists and protect victims of violence, especially women.
It comes as Met Commissioner Cressida Dick said that she would have gone to the vigil as well "if it had been lawful." Dick is under pressure from the public that wants her dismissed for the way the police handled the crowds during the vigil.
Hours after Kate left the vigil, police officers were on the scene and tried to disperse the growing number of people at the vigil. The dispersing led to a scuffle where some women were handcuffed and led to police vans.
The incident sparked anger on Twitter as the police lost control of the crowd. London Mayor Sadiq Khan demanded the commissioner to explain why they could not enforce COVID-19 rules.
Meanwhile, sources said that royal aides advised Kate against going to the vigil miles away from Kensington Palace, but she still went to the vigil. In hindsight, this was Kate making a quiet political statement as Everard's death has shocked Britain and has become a national issue. (Business Times)