Kate Middleton made a rare personal comment in tribute to Sabina Nessa

"I am saddened by the loss of another innocent young woman on our streets."

The Duchess of Cambridge has joined the hundreds of mourners paying tribute to Sabina Nessa, who was killed last week in Kidbrooke, southeast London.

The body of the 28-year-old primary school teacher was discovered on Saturday 18 September, after she failed to arrive at a local pub, where she had arranged to meet a friend. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan police said in a statement: "Sabina never arrived at the pub and is thought to have been murdered as she walked through the park."

The walk from Ms Nessa's flat to The Depot pub in Kidbrooke village should have taken her just five minutes.

Paying tribute to the late school teacher on the Kensington Royal Twitter account, Kate penned a rare personal post, which she signed off simply with her initial, “C”.

"I am saddened by the loss of another innocent young woman on our streets," the duchess wrote. "My thoughts are with Sabina’s family and friends, and all those who have been affected by this tragic event. C."

It is understood that flowers were laid on the duchess’s behalf at a vigil for Ms Nessa, which took place on Saturday.

Kate also laid flowers at the Clapham Common bandstand earlier this year in memory of Sarah Everard, who was murdered by ex-Met Police officer Wayne Couzens while walking back from a friend's house to her flat in Brixton, South London.

The duchess is not the only public figure to have paid their respects to Ms Nessa, with London Mayor Sadiq Khan releasing a statement on Friday ahead of the vigil.

"The vigil for Sabina Nessa tonight is an important and emotional moment for the whole community to come together and remember Sabina’s life, and to stand in solidarity with her family and loved ones during this time of unimaginable grief," he said.

"Sabina’s family, friends and colleagues have shared powerful tributes to her life. It’s clear that she was a bright, kind and caring young woman, who had a powerful impact on those around her.

“What happened to Sabina is every parent’s nightmare and every woman’s worst fear. Her death is a tragedy and I stand with the community in Kidbrooke and Londoners across our city, united in grief and united in our determination that justice is done."

Despite reigniting a conversation about women's safety, which became particularly prevalent following the murder of Sarah Everard in March, mainstream media outlets have been criticised for the discrepancy in reporting of the two cases – with many major outlets initially failing to report on the young school teacher's death in any great depth.

More than 500 people gathered to mourn Ms Nessa in Kidbrooke on Saturday, including her grieving family.

Ms Nessa's sister, Jebina Yasmin Islam, told the crowd, "I just want to say thank you to everyone who came today to show support for my sister. We have lost an amazing, caring, beautiful sister, who left this world far too early.

"Words cannot describe how we are feeling, this feels like we are stuck in a bad dream and can't get out of it – our world is shattered, we are simply lost for words. No family should go through what we are going through."

Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Sabina Nessa.

Anyone with any information relating to the case is urged to call the Metropolitan Police’s incident room on 0208 721 4266, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.