London — On March 13, 2021, Kate Middleton paid a surprise visit in London to the memorial held for Sarah Everard, a 33-year-old woman whose body was discovered the day before, according to Fox News as reported by Nicki Swift. Based on a report by CNN, Everard went missing as she was walking home by herself on March 3 and her body was found nine days later about 50 miles from where she was last seen.
It is believed that Everard has been abducted and killed by a police officer who belonged to the Metropolitan Police. Catherine Roper, the Metropolitan Police’s force commander issued a statement on the group’s website to express her condolences for Everard and her family.
“No woman in London should be unsafe on London’s streets and I understand the strength of feeling that has grown following Sarah’s disappearance. As a woman and a police officer, I want nothing more than for women to feel safe and protected by the police,” Roper said.
It was reported that the Duchess of Cambridge shared the sentiment. A source for People magazine said that Middleton wanted to personally pay her respects because she “remembers what it felt like to walk around London at night”. There were some who were grateful that Middleton honoured Everard but others were not happy with the way she did it. The Mirror reported that the Duchess left flowers at Sarah Everard’s memorial in South London.
It was also reported that a witness described Middleton as being quite sombre during her unannounced visit. A royal insider told The Mirror that the visit was “a private matter to her and she wanted to show unity with everyone else”. Although the surprise appearance was appreciated by many, others were a bit caught off guard for one reason: She was not wearing a mask.
“So in all her public events this week she wears a mask but now this private visit she has no mask!” one Twitter user pointed out. “Wanted to make sure she was recognized ‘paying her respects’ classless.” Another person had a similar frustration. “No mask just for her face to be seen! Disgraceful,” they slammed.
There were others who came to Kate’s defence saying that masks are not required to be worn outdoors in the UK. The Independent UK reported this in a February 2021 article. Therefore, Middleton was not breaking any laws by not wearing a mask to the open-air memorial. She and her husband, Prince William, have been photographed many times wearing masks in indoor settings throughout the coronavirus pandemic./TISG