Five years ago today, on March 3, 2021, Sarah Everard set out to walk home to her London flat after visiting a friend. She never made it. Instead, she encountered the man who would end her life.

A week later, the body of the 33-year-old marketing executive was found in woodland in Kent. She had been raped, strangled and burned. The brutality of what had unfolded transfixed and horrified the country.

And the shock only deepened when it emerged that Wayne Couzens, the man arrested in connection with Sarah’s murder, was not a stranger lurking in the shadows, but a serving Metropolitan Police firearms officer – a man entrusted with public safety.

In September 2021, he received a whole life sentence for what Lord Justice Fulford described as his ‘devastating, tragic and wholly brutal’ actions.

By then, Sarah’s desperate story had grown darker still. Revelations of allegations against Couzens that had been ignored, of missed warnings, exposed the way a serial sex offender had not only gone unchecked by three police forces but had continued to wear their uniform. 

Five years on, Sarah’s murder continues to generate grief and fury not just for a life stolen, but for the catastrophic lapses that allowed it to happen.

Here, laid out in full for the first time, is the haunting timeline of missed opportunities leading to a crime that shook Britain to its core.

1995: Couzens, aged 23 and working as a mechanic at his father’s garage, is alleged to have committed a ‘very serious sexual assault against a child barely into her teens’ in his home town of Dover.

The incident was reported to police but the perpetrator was never caught. Twenty-six years later, the complainant comes forward in the wake of Couzens’ arrest for Sarah’s murder. It later emerges that, also in 1995, Couzens allegedly also tried to kidnap a woman at knifepoint in north London. Again, she identified him in the wake of news of his arrest.

2002: Still working full-time at his father’s garage, Couzens enlists as a private in the Territorial Army. Over the following four years he unsuccessfully applies three times to become a police officer, failing the vetting each time.

2003: Couzens allegedly blocks a young woman’s path in a deserted corridor at a Territorial Army event and demands her telephone number. She does not report it to the police, but following his arrest comes forward, describing the encounter as ‘intimidating’.

2004: Couzens allegedly exposes himself to a teenage girl while driving past her in south London. She does not report it, but comes forward after recognising him in the wake of Sarah’s murder.

2006: Couzens is alleged to have raped a young woman during a singles event linked to a dating website at a bar in east London. Again, the woman comes forward in the wake of Sarah’s murder. 

That same year, Couzens joins Kent Police as a special constable. He also marries Olena Obukhova, a Ukrainian national ten years his junior, whom he met online. They settle in Deal, where Olena starts work as a laboratory manager.

February 2007: Couzens’ mounting debts lead him to enter into an individual voluntary arrangement (IVA) to pay back creditors.

April 2008: He is discharged from the Territorial Army for failing to meet training obligations. His failure to return equipment and kit leads to a £526 fine.

November 2008: He performs a sex act in front of a woman pushing a pram who had responded to his call of ‘hello’. She reports it to the Met Police, but no suspect is identified until Couzens’ arrest.

February 2011: Couzens joins the Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC), a specialist police force dedicated to protecting British civil nuclear sites and materials. He had been vetted the previous year by Thames Valley Police, which recommended against his recruitment after revealing he had tried to conceal the fact he had entered into an IVA. Its recommendation was ignored.

2am, June 2013: Couzens is reported missing by Olena after failing to return from a late-night visit to the gym. A missing person report is created, but closed around 3am when Couzens arrives home, claiming he had crashed a hire car.

June 2015: Kent Police receive a call reporting the sighting of a man naked from the waist down in the Dover area. The caller labels it ‘revolting’. The report is linked to a car registered to Couzens, who is still with the CNC, yet no action is taken by officers.

September 2018: Couzens, by now a father of two children, joins the Metropolitan Police, and is posted to a Safer Neighbourhood Team in Bromley. A check of the Police National Database prior to his move records ‘no trace’ of incidents, despite the 2013 missing person report and 2015 indecent exposure allegation.

October 2019: Couzens allegedly commits a second rape under a bridge in London. The accusation is made by a victim who comes forward in the wake of reports of Couzens’ arrest in 2021. 

Following news of Sarah’s murder, a man also comes forward to say he had been sexually assaulted by Couzens in a bar in Kent in the summer of 2019 while dressed in drag – the only allegation recorded by a male victim.

February 2020: Couzens is moved to the Met’s elite and prestigious Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command.

November 2020: A naked Couzens engages in a sex act in front of a passing female cyclist while standing on a bank overlooking a narrow country lane near his home in Deal. 

The victim reports him, describing a black car parked nearby and giving a partial description of the registration, but again nothing comes of it. She will later state she had always feared someone who could behave in such a way could go on to commit more serious acts.

December 2020: Couzens allegedly sends an unsolicited photograph of his erect penis to a woman selling clothing online. In the previous two months, he had made several sexual requests to other female online retailers.

February 2021: In the space of a fortnight – on the 14th and the 27th – Couzens twice exposes himself to female staff members at a McDonald’s drive-through in Swanley, Kent.

The branch’s manager, Sam Taylor, reports the incidents to police, but they are classed as ‘low risk’, and it is not until March 3 – the day of Sarah’s abduction – that PC Samantha Lee is dispatched to the restaurant to take statements. 

Later, Taylor will testify that he had shown PC Lee CCTV footage of Couzens’ black Seat Exeo, and provided receipts that clearly displayed his registration plate and credit card details, but no further action was taken.

In 2023, PC Lee will be found guilty of gross misconduct and fired from the force. She claims she has been ‘thrown under the bus’ to help the Met save face.

9.30pm, March 3: Nine and a half hours after PC Lee arrives at McDonald’s in Swanley, Sarah Everard is in the middle of a 50-minute walk home from a friend’s house near Clapham Common to Brixton Hill.

She calls her boyfriend Josh Lowth en route, ending the call at 9.28pm. Two minutes later she is stopped by Couzens, who identifies himself as a police officer and pretends to arrest her for breaching Covid guidelines.

Bus CCTV captures the moment Couzens stands speaking to Sarah on the side of the road.

Within four minutes she is handcuffed and placed in the rear of the white Vauxhall Crossland that Couzens had rented from a vehicle hire company in Dover three days earlier. She is then driven to Dover, where he transfers her to his own car and takes her to a remote rural area, where he rapes and strangles her.

2.31am, March 4: CCTV captures Couzens buying drinks at a service station, almost certainly in the aftermath of Sarah’s murder. 

It emerges he twice revisits the place where he has dumped Sarah’s body, before finally leaving the area. At 8.15am, he visits a Costa Coffee, where he calmly buys coffee and a bakewell slice.

8pm, March 4: Sarah is reported missing by Josh after she fails to answer her phone and cannot be raised at her flat. Her family – mum Susan, dad Jeremy and siblings Katie and Jamie – say her disappearance is ‘totally out of character’ and that she is always in regular contact. Sarah’s friends mount a passionate campaign to find her, retracing her steps and placing missing posters around Clapham.

March 5: As the search for Everard escalates, Couzens is sighted filling a jerry can at a petrol station, which he later uses to burn Sarah’s body, and buying two green rubble bags, which he uses to dump her remains in a woodland pond near Ashford. 

He then blithely returns to normal life, including taking his family on a trip to the same woods, where he allows his children to play close to where Sarah’s body has been dumped.

Olena subsequently tells the Daily Mail of her incomprehension that the husband, who had ‘never once’ shown any hint of violence, was capable of what he had unleashed. ‘I saw nothing wrong. He had a beautiful family, a good house… what else did he need? I’m constantly asking myself: where did I miss the signs?’

March 6: Couzens calls in sick and does not return to work.

March 9: He is arrested in Deal, initially on suspicion of Sarah’s kidnapping. He claims to have been threatened by an Eastern European gang into delivering ‘another girl’ after he had previously underpaid a prostitute, before subsequently changing his story, saying he had handed her – alive and uninjured – to three men in a van in a Kent layby.

Following his arrest, violent pornography is found across all his electronic devices, including a deleted file containing a film referencing a rape and murder by an impotent police officer. Forensic analysis also reveals 19 indecent images of children. Couzens denies having ever downloaded or viewed them.

March 10: Sarah’s remains are discovered. Two days later, Couzens is charged with her murder.

March 13: Across the country, a series of vigils are held for Sarah, with a large number gathering by the bandstand on Clapham Common, near where she had been kidnapped. The vigil ends in drama when a heavy police presence results in four arrests for breaches of Covid regulations.

Among them is Patsy Stevenson, then a 28-year-old physics student, whose arrest photo, showing her wrestled to the ground by police officers, causes nationwide outrage at what is seen as police heavy-handedness.

‘I went there to be part of a collective, for solidarity,’ Patsy recalls now. ‘It was a mournful event: people were really devastated, and they wanted to show it wasn’t just something to brush under the carpet. No one was shouting, no one was aggressive. It was all just very solemn, but it turned very quickly from a vigil into police manhandling women.’

The fallout from the arrest – which included death threats – led to Patsy failing her degree. She is now a full-time campaigner.

‘I’m just a person who became a picture – it is a difficult position to be thrown into overnight, but I have tried to do something positive with that because that level of public attention comes with responsibility,’ she adds.

July 9: Couzens appears by video link from Belmarsh high-security prison and pleads guilty to Sarah’s murder.

September 30: Couzens is given a whole life sentence for a crime Lord Justice Fulford stresses had been weeks in the planning.

‘What she [Sarah] had to endure for the final hours of her life were as bleak and agonising as it is possible to imagine,’ he tells him.

Couzens is currently serving his sentence at HM Prison Frankland in County Durham, nicknamed Monster Mansion due to the large number of murderers, rapists and terrorists who are imprisoned there, including Soham killer Ian Huntley – who was recently violently attacked by a fellow inmate – and the London nail bomber David Copeland.

July 2022: Couzens appeals against his whole-life sentence. His appeal is rejected.

February 2023: Couzens pleads guilty to three incidents of indecent exposure, among them the November 2020 flashing incident. A further three counts are ordered to lie on file.

February 2024: The Angiolini report is published as a result of an inquiry established to investigate how an off-duty police officer was able to abduct, rape and murder a member of the public.

Lady (Elish) Angiolini reveals that evidence of Couzens’ preference for extreme and violent pornography, and history of alleged sexual offending stretching back nearly 20 years, illuminates critical failures in vetting, and warns that ‘there may be more victims of his sexual offending who have not as yet come forward’.

She issues 16 recommendations focusing on officer recruitment, vetting and handling allegations of indecent exposure.

They all come too late for the Everard family, who are left to grieve the unfathomable loss of a precious daughter and sister who was just walking home.

‘The mornings and evenings are particularly painful,’ her mother Susan recalled in her victim impact statement.

‘At the time she was abducted, I let out a silent scream: ‘Don’t get in the car, Sarah. Don’t believe him. Run!’

‘I yearn for her. I remember all the lovely things about her.

‘She was caring, she was funny. She was clever, but she was good at practical things, too. She was a beautiful dancer.

‘She was a wonderful daughter.’

Five years ago today, on March 3, 2021, Sarah Everard set out to walk home to her London flat after visiting a friend. She never made it. Instead, she encountered the man who would end her life.

A trip to the zoo, an acrobatics show, a stroll around one of London’s first indoor markets, or perhaps just a swim in a historic Lido.

These are just some of the unique activities you might stumble across in Wandsworth in South West London.

It seems that it’s becoming increasingly popular with movers, too, as in 2025, a study analysing more than 23,000 moves found that it was the most popular London borough.

Now, it’s not exactly a cheap enclave to move to. Over the last year, house prices in Wandsworth have averaged at out at £810,224, towering over the current national average of £269,900 (according to Zoopla’s figures).

Plus, renting here certainly costs a pretty penny, as Compare My Move’s research found that the average monthly payment comes in at £2,526.

So, just what’s all the fuss about?

‘There’s a great feeling of peace’

Fiona Harrold has lived in Wandsworth for just over two years now, having moved back to London from Somerset in 2024.

She knew she wanted to be somewhere more lively than a village, but needed to be able to switch off and seek clarity amid nature, which is precisely why she ended up choosing South West London.

‘You can come home from a busy day of meetings in the centre of town, turn a corner and there’s suddenly a feeling of peace with a great green expanse of a park or heath,’ the 58-year-old PR tells Metro.

‘What’s special about it is the village feel as well as the convenience of Pilates studios, cafes and hairdressers that are open seven days.’

In her view, it feels like it’s outside of London – but in reality, it’s only 15 minutes from Waterloo on the train.

She now lives in a mansion block, and many of her neighbours have lived there for 20 years. Taking in each other’s parcels is the norm, and many of them have looked after her cat while she’s been away travelling.

‘I wouldn’t want to live in any other part of London,’ she says.

A love of greenery is also why 42-year-old Holly Stevens, who is originally from Wimbledon, chose Wandsworth. She wanted somewhere that felt familiar, but had a slower, more family-friendly pace of life.

‘King George’s Park, Wandsworth Common and Clapham Common are all on the doorstep, and they completely shape daily life, especially with children,’ Holly, who has two children, shares.

‘The schools are another big draw. There are some fantastic options locally, and that naturally brings in lots of young families. There’s a real sense of community here, you see familiar faces at the school gates, in the parks and in local cafés. It feels supportive and neighbourly.’

‘Wandsworth feels like possibility’

While Alicia Drabble-Castellano now lives in neighbouring Wimbledon Park, one minute from the border, she lived in Wandsworth when she set up her business.

The area gave her exactly what she needed for her idea, women’s clothing brand Single Swan, to thrive: space, energy, and community.

‘It’s full of people quietly building something. There’s a real entrepreneurial undercurrent, founders working from cafés, creatives collaborating after school drop-off, women in their 40s starting second acts,’ she tells Metro.

‘You’ll see river runners at sunrise, toddlers in tow by 9am, and start-up meetings happening over flat whites by 10.’

In her experience, Wandsworth feels ‘layered’ in that there are long-standing locals, but also new arrivals.

‘Local conversations turned into collaborations. It’s a place that allows you to grow quietly, steadily, and confidently,’ she adds.

Housing in Wandsworth

When it comes to explaining why it’s so popular despite the relative price tag, Damien Jefferies, founder of Jefferies London, has a few theories.

As Damien tells Metro, it ‘combines lifestyle appeal with relative affordability given its favourable location.’

He explains: ‘Families are attracted by the excellent schools, plentiful green space and riverside setting, while professionals value the fast connections into central London, particularly with the Northern line extension, as well as the up-and-coming buzz that has come from the redevelopment of the Battersea Power Station and surrounding area of Nine Elms.’

@birkbites

south west London has a banging new Italian sandwich spot!! 🥪🇮🇹 @La Finestra such a cute lil concept and a rarity in SW London, gimme allll the pistachio pesto pls – SO GOOD 📍 La Finestra, Southfields, Wandsworth

♬ original sound – birkbites

In his mind, it channels an essence of London’s ‘prestige’ without the champagne budget associated with nearby Chelsea and Fulham.

Damien adds that, between 2024 and 2025, the average sold price across Wandsworth actually fell by 6.4%, which he says is ‘in line with the slowdown seen across the wider London market.’

However, this has actually fuelled the borough’s popularity even further, as the average number of monthly housing transactions rose by 10.1% in 2024 and 9.3% in 2023.

Things to do in Wandsworth

From quirky food markets to a vibrant clubbing scene, there’s plenty to explore down this neck of the woods. It was also named the London Borough of Culture for 2025 by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, hailed for being ‘vibrant and diverse,’ as well as teeming with creativity.

Tooting Market is worthy of a visit alone, being one of South London’s first indoor markets, opening in 1930.

For those who like to party, Exhibit in Balham and Tram and Social in Tooting are two standout clubs, offering karaoke, bottomless brunches, comedy nights and more.

And those who prefer the great outdoors can enjoy the area’s green spaces like Wandsworth Park, Battersea Park and the River Wandle. Alternatively, why not take a dip in the famous Tooting Bec Lido?

Elsewhere on the cultural scene, there’s the Royal Academy of Dance offering a range of classes, while Battersea Arts Centre has a vibrant programme of events, covering music, theatre, dance and acrobatics.

Backyard Cinema is another great option for a day out, as well as Theatre 503 – which is located on top of the Latchmere pub.

Wandsworth is an incredibly family-friendly neighbourhood, with the likes of Battersea Children’s Zoo – offering hours of entertainment for kids and adults alike – and The Pottery Café, which is the ideal activity for creative little ones.

On the financial side of things, it also benefits from the lowest council tax rates in the whole country – which is certainly welcome news for the wallet.

This article was first published on July 12, 2024.

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Tanner Lam and Christian Humphreys each had a goal and an assist for the Kitchener Rangers as they defeated the London Knights 4-1 to open the month of March at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium.

The victory clinched first place in the Midwest Division for the Rangers and assured them of either the number one or number two seed in the Western Conference once the playoffs begin.

The teams skated through a scoreless first period as Sebastian Gatto stretched his shutout streak to 84 minutes and 21 seconds.

London forward Evan Van Gorp scored short-handed early in the second period as he zoomed into the Kitchener end and beat Ranger goaltender Christian Kirsch on a wrap-around at the 1:01 mark.

Kitchener tied the game as Jack Pridham got a puck to Luca Romano in the slot and Romano shovelled in his second goal since returning from injury.

Matthew Hlacar put the Rangers in front as he slapped a puck that had gone off the end boards off a body and in at 8:20 of the middle period and Kitchener took a 2-1 lead into the final 20 minutes.

Both Gatto of the Knights and Kirsch of the Rangers made big saves in the third period to keep the score where it was until the final two minutes when Christian Humphreys sailed a puck down the ice and into an empty London net to give Kitchener a 3-1 advantage.

Lam scored a second empty-netter with 26.8 seconds remaining to finish the scoring.

Both penalty kills were perfect on the day as the Knights stymied the second best power play in the OHL on four separate occasions and the Rangers killed off four London power plays.

Kitchener outshot the Knights 39-23.

Griffith still going gangbusters

Former London Knights forward Seth Griffith remains the only player in Ontario Hockey League history to score twice in an OHL shootout.

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He did it in a 19-round shootout in December of 2012 after every player in the game had shot leaving Griffith to win it.

Griffith is still putting pucks into nets as he currently leads the American Hockey League’s Bakersfield Condors in scoring.

Griffith is also the captain of the Condors.

He helped the Knights to back-to-back OHL championships in 2012 and 2013.

Up Next

Farmers Night takes place Wednesday, March 4 at Canada Life Place as the London Knights host the Guelph Storm at 6:30 p.m.

London and Guelph turned in three barn-burners when going head-to-head this season. The Knights won the first game in overtime while the Storm have snuck out wins in the past two.

A new block of tickets has been opened for the game. Fans can buy them at http://www.londonknights.com.

Coverage begins at 6 p.m., on 980 CFPL, at and on the iHeart Radio and Radioplayer Canada apps.

&copy 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

It’s 2028 and you’re getting a taxi home from a night out. So far, so normal, the only difference is that this one is flying.

Sounds futuristic but it’s far from unrealistic according to Vertical Aerospace, which is aiming to have its taxis soaring across London’s skyline within two years.

The Bristol-based firm successfully tested its electric flying taxi above the Cotswolds last year.

Uber has slightly tempered its ambitions to 2030, although its partnership with Joby Aviation is set to bring flying taxis to Dubai already later this year.

It joins cities in China and the United Arab Emirates which harbour similar ambitions.

Uber’s chief product officer Sachin Kansal revealed he would be ‘very disappointed’ if the 2030 milestone wasn’t hit.

‘London is going to be a very high priority market,’ he said.

‘We know our users (there) would love a feature like this, which will help them escape a lot of the traffic and be able to get from their home to the airport within a few minutes rather than hours.’

How fast would a flying taxi journey be?

To put that in perspective, a 10-mile journey across central London could take as little as 10 minutes in a flying taxi – compared to in excess of 90 minutes during peak times.

‘To me, the number one advantage of being able to take that ride is time,’ Sachin explained.

‘Of course the aircraft itself is going to be an amazing experience, but being able to save an hour is going to be amazing.’

Joby’s electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL) will launch like a helicopter before tilting forward to cruise like a plane to travel at speeds of up to 200mph.

It will carry a pilot and four passengers, cover up to 100 miles on full battery, which takes up to 10 minutes to charge from empty.

And it won’t be priced beyond the means of ordinary Londoners.

How much would flying Uber trip cost?

Fares would be comparable to Uber Exec, the premium tier of the Uber app. In central London, a 10-mile Uber Exec journey typically costs between £50 and £70 depending on traffic and demand.

Like with Uber, customers will be able to book shared trips or an entire aircraft. They will travel via ‘vertiports’ — landing pads on rooftops, car parks, or repurposed helipads.

Under Uber’s model, passengers can take ‘stitched’ journeys where a car takes them to the ‘vertiports’ and another picks them up when they land for the final leg of their journey.

On top of this, they are significantly quieter than conventional aircraft. Joby claims their eVTOLs are around 55 decibels when flying overhead, roughly equivalent to a loud conversation in a restaurant.

So far, no infrastructure exists to accommodate eVTOLs – although not many ‘vertiports’ would be needed to serve London, according to Sachin.

‘My expectation would be that we would pick a few spots that give us enough coverage in the city as well as on the outskirts … which could be starting points,’ he said.

‘You just need a clearing to get enough angle to come in, you need enough space, and you need charging infrastructure. And all of that is very creative.’

What happens next with flying taxis in UK?

Joby is currently testing the taxis out in Dubai – which promises to be the guinea pig before the models expand to the US and then London.

Despite the ambitions, significant hurdles remain.

Before any commercial service can begin, aircraft must receive certification from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

The regulator must approve their safety, and operators must secure licences covering pilot training, routes, and maintenance.

Local authorities could also block the building of ‘vertiports’, especially if locals raise concerns about issues like noise.

Jonathan Nicholson, from the CAA, said we were ‘very close’ to seeing flying taxis ‘as long as it is safe we will seek to enable it’.

But there are also broader concerns over public confidence.

Autonomous cars have yet to be rolled out on a large scale in the UK. Until this is normalised, it remains to be seen how popular self-flying taxis will be.

Until these hurdles are overcome, the dream of beating London traffic by air remains just that.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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A four-goal burst in just over four minutes in the second period lifted the Windsor Spitfires to a 6-1 win over the London Knights at Canada Life Place on Feb. 27.

Liam Greentree recorded a hat trick for Windsor as he started the scoring with a deflection in front at 3:27 of the first period to reach 30 goals on the season.

London held the Spitfires to just three shots on goal over the first 20 minutes and tied the game 1-1 as Jaxon Cover rifled home a Will Nicholl feed at 12:55.

Cover’s goal moved him into sole possession of fifth place in OHL rookie scoring with 18 goals and 43 points on the year.

Ethan Belchetz came out from behind the London net and scored his 33rd goal of the year at 6:36. Then, just 23 seconds later, Greentree’s second of the game gave Windsor a 3-1 lead.

Greentree completed the hat trick at 9:29 of the second period to extend the Spitfires lead to 4-1.

Before the end of the second a bounce found Chicago Blackhawks prospect Alex Pharand at the edge of the Knights crease and he put a backhand past Alexei Medvedev and the Spitfires went to the dressing room with a four-goal lead.

The teams went 51 minutes before the first minor penalty of the game was officially recorded.

On the ensuing Windsor power play A. J. Spellacy nudged a puck across the goal line to finish the scoring at 12:26 of the third period.

A penalty had signalled in the second period but a goal was scored on the delayed call so the penalty did not end up on the scoresheet.

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The Spitfires outshot the Knights 30-18.

Windsor was 1-for-1 on the only man advantage of the game.

Up next

The Knights will be on the road for back-to-back games against the Brampton Steelheads at 4 p.m., on Saturday, Feb. 28 and then in Kitchener to kick off the month of March at 2 p.m., against the Rangers.

London has not seen the Steelheads since Sept. 26 when Brampton eked out a 2-1 win in London.

The Knights will be meeting the Rangers for the sixth and final time during the regular season and Kitchener has been on a run.

In the 29 games they have played since the trade deadline where they acquired former Knights players Sam O’Reilly and Jarred Woolley they have lost just one time in regulation.

Coverage of both games can be heard on 980 CFPL, at www.980cfpl.ca and on the iHeart Radio and Radioplayer Canada apps.

&copy 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Published: 18:42 EST, 27 February 2026 | Updated: 19:28 EST, 27 February 2026

Princess Eugenie was spotted on a solo outing in London today, just days after the arrest of her father Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

The daughter of the former Duke and Duchess of York, 35, looked to pass incognito in dark glasses, a long dark green coat and heels as she carried a paper shopping bag.

The 12th-in-line to the throne was occupied on her phone when she was photographed in Kensington, central London, carrying a cream handbag on her right shoulder.

She is the only member of the family that has been seen in public since Andrew spent 11 hours in police custody last Thursday – with the whereabouts of her mother Sarah Ferguson still a mystery.

The former prince was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office on his 66th birthday, with officers from Thames Valley Police carrying out days of searches at his former home of Royal Lodge in Windsor.

Officers also spent the day searching his new property on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk before Andrew was released under investigation. 

He is accused of sharing sensitive information with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein during his time as UK’s special representative for international trade and investment.

Following Andrew’s arrest, ex-US ambassador Peter Mandelson was also detained on suspicion of misconduct in public office on Monday before being released on bail.

It is the second time Eugenie has been seen in public since last week’s events, which are said to have left her and her sister, Beatrice, 37, devastated. 

She ventured out for a coffee in Notting Hill with her husband Jack Brooksbank on Tuesday, dressed casually in Nike trainers, blue leggings, a jacket and a North Face baseball cap.

Meanwhile Beatrice and the sisters’ mother, Sarah Ferguson, have been nowhere to be seen until now. 

Ferguson has spent time in recent months in the French Alps, UAE and an exclusive clinic in Zurich – but her current whereabouts are unknown. 

Eugenie had been holidaying in the exclusive Swiss ski resort of Gstaad with her family last week when her father was arrested – and is said to have been ‘in a state’. 

Her parents Andrew and Fergie feature heavily among the three million pages of Epstein files which were released by the US Department of Justice last month.

Fergie’s emails to the paedophile financier revealed she took Eugenie and Beatrice to visit Epstein days after his release from prison for child prostitution offences.

Other messages from Fergie to Epstein even talked about Eugenie’s sex life, declaring in one that the princess had been away on a ‘sh*gging weekend’ when she was 19.

Eugenie was spotted in Switzerland last week by diners at the exclusive Restaurant Waldmatte in Gstaad, with Mr Brooksbank and their sons August and Ernest.

One who saw her at lunch told Hello! Magazine: ‘I was surprised to see her because I thought she would be keeping a low-profile in light of everything that has been going on.’

The family were with friends who had also joined them at the eatery with a large terrace and impressive views of the Alps, although they opted to stay inside.

Earlier this month, Eugenie left the UK for Qatar where she appeared in public for the first time since the new Epstein files were released.

She is a director of art dealer Hauser & Wirth and was working at a high-end contemporary art fair in Doha.

Eugenie and Beatrice were previously said to be ‘aghast’ at their mother’s embarrassing tranche of emails to Epstein.

These included emails begging for flight upgrades on a trip to visit the convicted paedophile in the US just days after his release from jail.

Other exchanges show he helped pay off her debts and offered advice as she struggled with her finances.

Ferguson also sent emails to the financier saying ‘marry me’ and described him as the ‘brother I have always wished for’ and a ‘supreme friend’.

Sources close to the sisters also said they were ‘appalled’ and ’embarrassed’ about photos of their father crouching over a mystery woman lying on the floor in Epstein’s New York mansion.

Despite being stripped of his title last year, the former duke of York is still eighth in line to the throne, and an Act of Parliament would be required to remove Andrew and prevent him from ever becoming king.

The UK Government is expected to consider introducing such legislation once police have finished their investigation into the King’s disgraced brother.

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Things to do in London this week

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• Do YOU have a story? Email: jordana.seal@dailymail.co.uk 

By JORDANA SEAL, NEWS REPORTER and ISAAC CROWSON

Published: 19:50 EST, 25 February 2026 | Updated: 01:56 EST, 26 February 2026

The school wars spreading over London have reached new heights, with Operation Cedarfield being by police to clamp down on who is responsible.

Since Metro first broke the story two weeks ago, the schools across London taking part in the fights – where they are encouraged to ‘be violent’ – has increased nearly 10 fold.

The first post divided eight schools in Hackney into ‘red’ and ‘blue’ and told pupils to bring sharp objects such as compasses to harm each other.

Since then, Metro has counted more than 50 schools taking part across the capital, setting up their own ‘wars’.

These include schools in Greenwich, Tower Hamlets, Croydon and Harrow.

But parents are crying out for help, with some who have already lost a child to knife crime begging for it to be stopped.

Which schools are involved?

At time of writing, Metro has counted 58 schools involved.

A somewhat-sophisticated scoring system has also been put in place, with 20 points awarded for ‘juggin them’ and 10 for ‘bangin’.

In Greenwich, this includes: Plumstead Manor, Thomas Tallis, St Paul’s Academy, St Mary’s, Woolwich Polytechnic, John Roan, Ark Greenwich School and Royal Greenwich Trust.

In Hackney, City Academy, Cardinal Pole, Haggerston School, Urswick School, The Excelsior Academy, Bridge Academy, Mossbourne Community Academy and City of London Academy Shoreditch Park are all mentioned in the post.

In Tower Hamlets, Langdon Park, Canary Wharf College, St Paul’s Secondary, Bow School. Bishop Chancellor, Stepney Green, Wapping High School and George Green have all been named.

Other posts have also called for inter-borough competitions, with the entirety of north London divided and pitted against each other.

Another has also put boroughs on the other side of the capital against each other, with Ealing and Brent at war with Waltham Forest and Southwark.

‘I dread another parent being told their child has been stabbed’

Tammy Brown, who lost her son Russell to knife crime in 2016, has called on Tower Hamlets parents to make sure they know what their children are doing.

She told Metro: ‘It totally took my breath away seeing these posts. I hate to think of another mum or dad getting that knock on the door that turns their world upside down.

‘Innocent kids could be hurt and for what? Absolutely nothing. It’s just school vs school and terrible and scary for all.’

Pupils are also at risk of being ‘jumped’ without knowing about the posts.

One grandmother, who has a grandson in year 9 in Hackney, said as Mare Street is pedestrianied children will be more vulnerable with nowhere to hide.

She said: ‘There is no hiding on that street, everything is completely open.

‘What if a pupil just happens to be walking through it and gets jumped? It’s a disaster waiting to happen.’

Who is responsible?

All of the posts are circulating on Tiktok and Snapchat by dedicated accounts.

But some pupils do not believe it is their fellow students who have the posts, but rather outsiders looking to cause trouble.

One year 10 student told Metro: ‘People are just trying to fearmonger parents. Most schools are interlinked and have good relationships.

‘These people like to create fear and worry that is already in our communities. But any teenager with common sense would not meet somewhere where the police have been told about and bring a weapon.’

Operation Cedarfield

The Metropolitan Police is now ramping up efforts to find out who is responsible.

They have named the task Operation Cedarfield, with headteachers across London urging students to go straight home after school.

Commander Neerav Patel said: ‘We’re aware of social media posts circulating and are in close contact with schools across several London boroughs to offer reassurance.

‘Officers will maintain a strong, visible presence around schools, and will respond firmly to any reports of violence or disorder.

‘We continue to closely monitor online spaces and have worked with platforms to request a dozen social media accounts to be disabled where threats or violence were planned or encouraged.

‘I would like to remind young people of the serious consequences of getting involved in matters like this.

‘An arrest, charge and conviction for violence and carrying weapons could mean imprisonment with a significant long-term impact on future opportunities.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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