Prince Harry Marks 25 Years Since Racist Murder Of Black Teen

Prince Harry and his fiancee Meghan Markle attended a memorial on Monday marking the 25th anniversary of the racist murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence in a killing that triggered far-reaching changes to British attitudes and policing.

London, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Apr, 2018 ) :Prince Harry and his fiancee Meghan Markle attended a memorial on Monday marking the 25th anniversary of the racist murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence in a killing that triggered far-reaching changes to British attitudes and policing.

The couple joined Stephen's mother Doreen Lawrence, who campaigned tirelessly for justice after her son was brutally stabbed to death at a bus stop on April 22, 1993. Prime Minister Theresa May also attended the service in London, telling the congregation that April 22 will now be known as Stephen Lawrence Day.

"For the past 25 years, Doreen and (her husband) Neville have fought heroically to ensure that their son's life and death will never be forgotten. Their dignity, their courage and their sheer determination are an inspiration to us all," she said.

Five suspects were arrested within days of the murder but failures in the police probe into the 18-year-old's killing meant it was not until 2012 that two of them were jailed, after new evidence came to light.

The case drew the interest of anti-apartheid icon and Nobel peace laureate Nelson Mandela, who met the Lawrence family a fortnight after Stephen died, telling them: "It seems black lives are cheap." A public inquiry in 1999 found the initial police investigation was marred by incompetence, a failure of leadership and "institutional racism".

It led to an overhaul of policing in Britain, with London police chief Cressida Dick this weekend noting the "huge and positive change" enacted.