Officers were contacted on Sunday by friends of the woman who were worried about her safety.

Police forced entry to her address in Stanhope Place, near Hyde Park, in Bayswater, at around 8.30am on Monday and found her dead.

No arrests have been made at this time.

A neighbour of the victim said she does not "feel very safe" after the stabbing.

Katerina was studying in her flat on Sunday when she saw "much more people than usual" standing outside the apartment where the victim was found on Monday morning.

She texted her mother that night to say how "noisy" it was in the area, which she thought was unusual for a Sunday.

She said police reassured her that it was an "isolated incident" but Katerina told Sky News she feels "scared".

Detective Chief Inspector Adam Clifton, from the Metropolitan Police's Specialist Crime Command, said: "I understand this news will be concerning, and that local women especially may be worried.

"Our enquiries are in the very early stages and we are keeping an open mind as to the motive, however I can assure people that my team are working 24/7 to establish what happened to the woman, and to identify and arrest whoever may be responsible for this attack."

A post-mortem will be held and police are trying to find her next of kin.

Chief Superintendent Louise Puddefoot added: "Our thoughts are with the woman and her family.

"My officers will do everything we can to support the investigation and they will be stationed in the area to speak to anyone who has any information or concerns they want to share with us."