The Duchess of Cambridge attends the Sarah Everard vigil

[JamesMiddletonsMarshmallows]

My respect for the Duchess has just shot up. For a Royal, this is pretty bold and brave.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/sarah-everard-vigil-kate-middleton-london-b1816862.html

Not forgetting other women - if you attended the vigil tonight, thank you for sticking up for women's rights. Let's hope this is an opportunity for the Met Police to review and change how they treat both offending officers and female victims

@Chaiandkaafee

A PR move. No mask. Deliberate.

Now let’s imagine if Meghan had gone to a memorial on a day that a vigil that the police wanted to ban was happening? And she didn’t wear a mask? In a pandemic. What would the press write about her?

Have a real hard think about that.

Kate is a "good rebel". Posters have a good and noble excuse for everything. Meghan should shut up and obey the institution or else, she's evil.

I 've made my point about Kate perfectly clear.

You really haven't - what is your problem with Kate attending a memorial, and say, not other women?

That's exactly my point @Bluntness100. I said "dressed down as she was", meaning if she had a mask on, she'd have blended in with the crowd.

My understanding was that if you don't wear a mask, you had to stay 2 metres away from others, otherwise you are supposed to wear a mask. I suppose royalty operate under different rules to the rest of us.

I'm really pleased that she went, and also that she just went as somebody paying her respects rather that the Duchess of Cambridge on a royal visit.

It at least looked like something that she'd decided she wanted to do rather than something she was doing in a working capacity.

For better or worse Meghan isn't a working royal anymore.
She doesn't even live in the country.
She chose to leave both the role and the country.

Unless she follows a UK news site specifically she is unlikely to even be aware of the murder.

We as adult women need to stop playing top trumps with Megan and Kate.
It is very immature.

@JamesMiddletonsMarshmallows

See I think it's really obvious it's her in a mask *@Starseeking*

Have you ever been to Clapham? In a mask, she'd have blended in nicely. Except it's clear she didn't want to blend in.

I really wish she'd stayed away so the focus would quite rightly be on Sarah Everard, and not on Royal PR stunts!

@Truelymadlydeeplysomeonesmum

There has always been nasty posts on mumsnet but say 10 years ago it was read just on one board. The rest was quite friendly and supportive.

I think the whole social media landscape has changed, like you say, years ago it was uncommon for such vitriol to be all over a thread, but now it's a free for all which is why I don't take it too seriously, some of the comments on here are so ridiculous you have to laugh.

The thing is though, if it were a publicity stunt then her PR would have had her wearing a mask and ensure that she was filmed, recognised and it broadcast that it was her. I actually think that her not wearing a mask indicates that it wasn't a publicity stunt and that she was doing it through her own fruition - most likely thinking it's an outdoor space, people are there for the victim and not to hound her.

Either way, good for her for going. And the comment about her not going to pay respect to other less publicised victims, how do you know that she didn't and it just wasn't publicised?

@JamesMiddletonsMarshmallows

I 've made my point about Kate perfectly clear.

You really haven't - what is your problem with Kate attending a memorial, and say, not other women?

Covered this in pps, cba to repeat it.

I have been since you ask. Imo what she did was really low.

WTAF?

PR move.
Like she's ever been in the same position as the victim was.
She was so discreet with all those police protection officers around her,no mask and she was captured on camera. Yeah, someone called journos to the private events..

BUT if it draws attention to thus tragedy and hoid comes from it- that's fine. But as PP said, if it had been MM the story would have been "MM steals attention from victim"

It’s PR nothing more. They always do it. But apart from that they’ve got to do something to warrant their huge privilege.

We as adult women need to stop playing top trumps with Megan and Kate

I agree. You can't mention Kate without someone appearing and saying 'what about Meghan though', Is this what it's always going to be like now?

We should stop second guessing other women's motives. Many women would have felt the urge to be there supporting each other and showing their respect for Sarah. Why can't we just assume that she would feel this wayas well, as that is why she was there? If that is not enough, consider that regarless of the motive, her presence there brings attention to this important issue, which is deeply needed. We must be kind to each other.

BUT if it draws attention to thus tragedy and hoid comes from it- that's fine. But as PP said, if it had been MM the story would have been "MM steals attention from victim"

Yes or if it had been Fergie. She was equally disliked.

@allthesharks that’s precisely what they want you to think. She could’ve gone wearing a mask and dressed down and been totally unrecognisable. If that’s what she had wanted.

They’ve had awful press this week. Just awful. Their PR strategy has to change as the future of the monarchy really is in question right now. Needs must.

Like she's ever been in the same position as the victim was.

considering she lived as an unintentionally famous woman without protection in London for 10 years I imagine she absolutely has

It's SO boring that people are mentioning MM and speculating about the apparently awful things that would have been said about her. It's ironic that they preface this by slagging Kate off for going.

FWIW I'm not a Meghan "fan" but I'd have thought the same if she was still I London mad visited, which I'm sure she would have

@LaCerbiatta

OMG why is everne so naive? Couldn't be more obvious this is a PR move...

Why so cynical?

I wonder if Sarah had met Kate in some capacity, hence her wanting to pay her respects. Quite understandable her going if that was the case.

She should not have attended pre the vigil, we are under a stay at home order. What happened to Sarah Everard was unforgiveable but there are better ways of honoring or showing empathy and support For example Kate could use her position to make a statement and/ or give weight to campaigns / reforms that will make women safer and that places the emphasis where on the real problem - Men. Silent support when you have the power that Kate does is neither use nor ornament for genuine change. William himself could also lend support to campaigns/reform which place the burden of changing behaviour on men.

It does seem a little odd that she didn’t wear a mask, she did stand out without a mask on.
But I do think Kate seems like a good person and believe Sarah’s death will have affected her.

❤️ Sarah

Good on her. I can’t be cynical about this, I’m impressed.

You can't mention Kate without someone appearing and saying 'what about Meghan though'

Do people really think this just started for no reason or on the back of people comparing Meghan to Kate for the past 2 years or so? Are people really trying to act like the whole Meghan/Kate issue started because people hate Kate and not because people constantly see and want to point out posters' hypocrisy with Kate vs Meghan.

We should stop second guessing other women's motives

When it’s the royal family, we don’t have to second guess. The D of C isn’t “any woman”They don’t do things spontaneously. It was PR nothing else.Entirely predictable.

Kate has gone up in my estimations for this. I don’t doubt for a second she has the same insight we (women) all do around the understanding and empathy of what was done to Sarah.

Of course Kate had security with her! To protect her from the 99.99% risk of male violence! Shame the irony in that is lost on some.