PHOTOSPrince Harry & Meghan Markle Attend Memorial Of Murdered Man The Same Day Kate Middleton Gives Birth
Apr. 24 2018, Updated 2:01 p.m. ET
Prince Harry’s sister-in-law Kate Middleton may have welcomed his second nephew on Monday morning, but that didn’t stop the prince from carrying out his royal duties with his bride-to-be Meghan Markle. Just hours after Kate welcomed her third child, Harry and his fiancé attended the memorial service for Stephen Lawrence, a man murdered in London 25 years ago.
Meghan and Harry were spotted arriving for the service at St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church, just three miles away from the Lindo Wing at St. Mary’s Hospital, where Kate welcomed a baby boy at 11:01 a.m. Monday.
The service honored Stephen, a black man who was killed in April 1993 when he was stabbed by a group of white men in London’s Eltham’s neighborhood, People reported. One the men said, “What, what n****r?” before stabbing Stephen twice.
Although two primary suspects were arrested in the two months that followed, both were released due to insufficient evidence. A 1997 inquest of Stephen’s case called the investigation “palpably flawed” and said there was “no doubt” it “deserves severe criticism.” According to People, the bungling of the case raised questions of racism within the London police department.
“Stephen Lawrence’s murder was simply and solely and unequivocally motivated by racism,” the report stated. “Nobody has been convicted of this awful crime. That also is an affront both to the Lawrence family and the community at large.”
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The trial was reopened in 2011, and both Gary Dobson and David Norris were found guilty and sentenced to 15 years and two months and 14 years and two months in prison, respectively. Three other suspects were never convicted in connection with Stephen’s death.
A charitable trust has since been established in Stephen’s name, and his mother Doreen Lawrence was honored by the Queen with an OBE in 2003. “Had the police done their job properly, I would have spent the last 18 years grieving for my son rather than fighting to get his killers to court,” Doreen said.
Meghan, who is biracial, and Harry have both spoken out against racism throughout their relationship. In 2016, Harry released a statement condemning “social media trolls” for their “outright sexism and racism.” During their engagement interview, Meghan called the negative focus on her race “disheartening.” “At the end of the day I’m really just proud of who I am and where I come from, and we have never put any focus on that,” she explained.
What do you think of Meghan and Harry attending the Stephen Lawrence memorial service? Sound off in the comments below.
