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

I hope she starts doing more to support women’s causes and highlight the misogyny our society is built on. It’s not a political issue.

Therefore turning up does absolutely nothing, she is coming from a position where she has security 24/7 and will never face having to worry about something happening to her as she walks home

You’re right, she doesn’t have to worry about walking home alone.

But she does have to hope and trust, on a daily basis, that her protection officers can stop anyone harming her or her family. That’s a different but very real threat.

I'm no royalist, but well done Kate.

I dont care if it is a PR stunt, it didn't have to be done. No one would have thought twice if she hadn't attended, but going sent a massive huge message that this is enough

@NiceGerbil

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Good post

Whoops what happened there.

There's a part in Michelle Obama's biography where she says how the media would always be interested in what she did so she would take them to stories that need to be told. (paraphrasing)

Kate being in Clapham yesterday reminded me of that. Mask off, legally. Obvious-not-obvious security. She knew she would be recognised. The "close source" explaining her actions. She knew that it would keep the story in the news for longer and discussions (such as this) would take place also keeping the story in people's minds. Good for her.

There's a lot of snark on here. The point is, unlike those born into the Royal Family, she once led a life without royal protection officers and I bet your bottom dollar understands what it's like to get unsolicited creepy attention when walking in London alone.

I think it was a respectful gesture and I'm glad she did it. Fair play to her.

@VinterKvinna

I'm no royalist, but well done Kate.

I dont care if it is a PR stunt, it didn't have to be done. No one would have thought twice if she hadn't attended, but going sent a massive huge message that this is enough

Without Kate there, would the message have been weak?

The message was very strong no matter what. It is more that Kate’s team are using this strong support for Sarah as PR.

A bit distasteful and opportunistic. But that’s RF

@Number3BigCupOfTea

All women have felt fear.

Not personally, not in this country. You wanna work in some of the places I have then you'd really know what that meant : armoured glass doors, panic room, security patrols. I got quite good with a Gloch 17, nice tight grouping.

They won't though, because they're misogynist to the core.

About a quarter of the Met officers are women btw

@MrsWombat, stories that need to be told, ie, hidden causes that no one was highlighting.

Not jumping on to a wry strongly supported, public event. About someone else.

good PR move, they are working over-time to salvage the recent debacle.

KM hardly controls what the papers put in their front page!
indeed, but how ironic from the poster who started a thread about her!

@MrsWombat

There's a part in Michelle Obama's biography where she says how the media would always be interested in what she did so she would take them to stories that need to be told. (paraphrasing)

Kate being in Clapham yesterday reminded me of that. Mask off, legally. Obvious-not-obvious security. She knew she would be recognised. The "close source" explaining her actions. She knew that it would keep the story in the news for longer and discussions (such as this) would take place also keeping the story in people's minds. Good for her.

Interesting viewpoint. Not thought of that.

@CrunchyBiscs

They won't though, because they're misogynist to the core.

About a quarter of the Met officers are women btw

And women can often be bigger misogynists than men. Not all women are on their own side unfortunately

Good for her. She had no need to do it and must have known it would attract criticism. But she wanted to show her respect.

She had every right to attend the vigil and I have no beef with Kate M as a person. What does stick in my craw is that the papers have her all over the front page fawning over her, when you know if MM was there it would be all about how selfish she was putting other women/security officers at risk, making at all about her, me me me etc.

The papers bigging up a token 'good woman' does not make then any less misogynistic and complicit in driving an anti-women's rights agenda. Quite the opposite, in fact. So please don't fall for their attempts to sanctify Kate as a cover for their day to day misogyny.

indeed, but how ironic from the poster who started a thread about her!

@beyondtheshoe

HOW is that ironic?! I don't think you know what that word means.

So now it's my fault the focus is on KM and not Sarah 😂😂😂away to fuck

I'm no royalist but I respect Kate for doing this. PR move or not, she has raised awareness even further and as a woman that has felt (and sadly, always accepted) a wary fear of men I am grateful to her for that.

Performance politics at its worst. As if colonialism, racism, capitalism, class prejudice and misogyny aren't all linked.

It's embarrassing she can be part of such a toxic institution with such awful history and nit think this contributes to violence against women.

Clearly many other people don't see this link and the need for international politics.

sorry to be a grump, but unless Kate lives in Clapham and it's her daily exercise, isn't she breaking lockdown rules by going?

She has protection officers wherever she goes. Not always big burly men in suits

She must have views on misogyny after so many years as a woman on the public eye.

Absolutely, it must have been awful when she was hounded & followed by the press in the early days. She can't call that out though.

She's a woman who has lived in London without security when younger and her kids go to school in battersea, she probably has loads of friends nearby. Of course she would be moved to attend.

Perhaps she wouldn't have been allowed to attend usually but the interview did make the palace think a bit. Isn't that a good thing?

She is showing support and that's great. I was pissed off they'd said the vigil couldn't go ahead. I'm glad people turned up anyway.

If she had been wearing a mask, as she should really have been, she probably would not have been noticed. Then people would not have taken photos would they?

Of course by not wearing a mask she was recognised!

On this issue there was no need to raise any awareness whatsoever. It's so bad it's one of those things which is right up there. Which is why it was a pretty sick idea of her PR team. Kate puts up and shuts up and is about as bad an example for women of the younger generation as it's possible to be. It staggers me that the royal PR guys get it so horribly wrong so much of the time, in the eyes of intelligent folk, but this was in the absolute worst possible taste.