Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, pays tribute to Sarah Everard

The Duchess of Cambridge has joined thousands of mourners in laying flowers for Sarah Everard on Clapham Common in London.

Kate Middleton was one of the people who visited Clapham Common, laying flowers and paying their respects.

Kensington Palace said the Duchess “remembers what it was like to walk around London at night before getting married” and “wanted to pay her respects to the family and Sarah,” Sky reported.

Mourners said the duchess looked “a bit upset” and “quite excited” as she took time to mourn the murdered 33-year-old woman.

“We were walking to the bandstand and she was walking away around the corner. She seemed a bit upset. She seemed quite excited. She was alone. About 10 meters behind her there were two people following her. It was not obvious that she had security with her,” said Rhiannon Pithers, quoted by the Daily Telegraph.

The images show Kate placing flowers and taking a few seconds to stand silently in front of the monument to the woman.

The Duchess’s visit is believed to have been timed to avoid the large number of people who might have turned out.

However, palace sources told the Daily Telegraph that “the timing was not specifically planned, it was done in private.”

A “Reclaim These Streets” vigil was supposed to take place tonight (UK time) but was canceled due to Covid-19 lockdown rules.

Still, mourners have been leaving flowers and cards in Clapham, honoring Everard, whose body was found in a woods in Kent earlier this week.

Everard disappeared on March 3, while walking home after visiting a friend.

A London police officer, Officer Wayne Couzens, 48, appeared in Westminster Magistrates Court yesterday on charges of his kidnapping and murder.

Wearing a gray sweater and surrounded by two policemen, Couzens sat with his head in his hands as the court heard how Everard’s body had to be identified by dental records.

He spoke only once, to confirm his name, date of birth and address, and has been in custody until his next court appearance on March 16.

“Mr. Couzens, I am referring your case to the Crown Court which is in the Central Criminal Court, which you may know as the Old Bailey,” Chief Justice Paul Goldspring said.

“You will appear there for your first appearance on March 16,” he added.

“I have no power to consider the bond issue. That will be considered if you want to file an application with the court on March 16.

“Therefore, he is in pre-trial detention until that date, as both charges were sent to the crown court.”

The Crown Prosecution Service, rather than the police, as is the norm, announced the charges against the London officer.

Couzens joined the Met in September 2018 and worked on a response team in Bromley, South East London.

He was then transferred to the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command in February last year, to patrol the embassies in the capital.

Heartbreaking statement about family issues

Sarah Everard left a friend’s house on the night of March 3 to begin a 50-minute walk back to her own Brixton apartment.

At approximately 9.30pm, she was seen on CCTV in Clapham, after spending 15 minutes talking to her boyfriend on the phone.

His body was found in a forest in Kent last Wednesday after a frantic search of ponds and other areas.

Her family has paid tribute to her “brilliant and beautiful daughter and sister.”

In a statement, they said she was a “wonderful” woman.

“She was kind and considerate, caring and trustworthy. She always put others first and had the most amazing sense of humor.

“She was strong and had principles and a shining example for all of us.

“We are very proud of her and she brought a lot of joy to our lives.”