Kate the great

Talking of freedom of expression, the Duchess of Cambridge exercised her right to it yesterday by turning out for Sarah Everard’s Clapham Common vigil.

That must have had Buckingham Palace courtiers scratching their heads and diving for their manuals on royal protocol.

Kate is the wife of the future king of England. England’s judiciary upheld a ban on similar gatherings under Covid rules.

Kate let it be known that she was there, not just to pay respects to Sarah and her family, but because she remembers what it felt like to walk around London at night.

This is one duchess who has not forgotten her roots. It’s only a pity that social distancing was not observed after she left.

In a week which has revealed the Royal Family at each other’s throats, Kate’s simple action was a breath of fresh air.

And a shining example of how a 21st century royal should behave.

KNEELING Magazine cover

THE French magazine once targeted by Islamist terrorists this week used a front-page cartoon of the Queen kneeling on Meghan Markle’s neck.

Charlie Hebdo headlined the pic: “Why Meghan left Buckingham” and a speech bubble from her says: “I couldn’t breathe any more.”

The reference to George Floyd’s death in the US last year sparked outrage.

Dr Halima Begum, the head of anti-racism think tank the Runnymede Trust, tweeted: “#CharlieHebdo, this is wrong on every level. It demeans the issues & causes offence, across the board.”

Another Twitter critic said: “It was disgusting when they printed their Islamophobic cover and it’s disgusting now.”

Terrorists stormed the satirical magazine’s Paris office in 2015 and shot dead 12 people.