William lays wreath in tribute to Westminster attack victim Pc Keith Palmer

The Duke of Cambridge has paid tribute to Pc Keith Palmer by laying a wreath in his honour at a national memorial to police officers killed in the line of duty.

William paused with his head bowed in respect after placing the wreath on a metal bench at the foot of a traditional blue police lamp at the National Memorial Arboretum.

A hand-written note attached to the tribute read: “For Pc Keith Palmer and all those who have served our community so valiantly; your legacy is our way of life. William.”

The duke was accompanied by Staffordshire’s Chief Constable Jane Sawyers at the police memorial, which he visited at the conclusion of an official engagement at the arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire.

The police memorial was originally sited in Hertfordshire, in tribute to 18-year-old police officer Mandy Rayner, who was killed in the line of duty in 1982.

A plaque on the bench states: “This lamp originally stood at Hitchin police station in Hertfordshire and is dedicated to the memory of Mandy Rayner, who was killed on 13th October 1982.

“She was the first woman police officer and, to this day, the youngest police officer killed in the line of duty.

“It was moved here with the consent of her family as a memorial to all police officers who have lost their lives in the service of others.”