King Charles Makes History with Emotional Visit to Auschwitz as Prince William Leads Holocaust Memorial Service

King Charles and Prince William lead the royal family’s commemoration of Holocaust victims on Holocaust Remembrance Day.

On January 27, King Charles, 76, traveled to Poland to visit the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp on what was described as a “deeply personal pilgrimage”. The date marks the anniversary of the liberation of the camp by Allied forces on January 27, 1945, and is observed globally as Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation, King Charles’ visit had great significance as he is the first British monarch to visit the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. Meanwhile, in London, Prince William, 42, is due to attend a moving ceremony where he will join survivors of atrocities committed in the concentration camp and elsewhere under Germany’s Nazi regime.

A royal source highlighted the significance of the visit for King Charles, saying: “While His Majesty has found many ways to connect with Holocaust survivors over the years, I know this visit to Auschwitz will be particularly moving for him.”

King Charles is greeted by Colonel Byliniax as he arrives at Krakow Airport, in Balice, Poland, on January 27, 2025, ahead of commemorations marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

AARON CHOWN/POOL/AFP via Getty

“This is not only because of the significance of the anniversary, but as an opportunity for him to reflect on the many stories of suffering and bravery that he has heard from those who witnessed it at the very place where it happened,” the palace source added. who has visited the camp can admit, it has a profound effect on the soul, bringing home both the scale of the horror and the lessons that must be learned for eternity.

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“In that sense, it will be a deeply personal pilgrimage for the king – a tribute both as a man and as a monarch,” the source said.

King Charles III talks to a Holocaust survivor (right) during a visit to the Jewish Community Center (JCC) Krakow, to meet Holocaust survivors and hear from volunteers and members about the center's support for people of all ages and backgrounds as part of its mission to rebuild Jewish life in the city.

King Charles talks to a Holocaust survivor (right) during his visit to the Jewish Community Center (JCC) Krakow, to meet Holocaust survivors and hear from volunteers and members about the center’s support for people of all ages and backgrounds as part of its mission to rebuild Jewish Life in the city.

Aaron Chown/Bazen/Shutterstock

Holocaust Remembrance Day also honors the victims and survivors of other genocides that have occurred since, including those in Rwanda, Cambodia and Bosnia.

In Poland, King Charles began the day at the Jewish Community Center (JCC) in Krakow, where he met with Holocaust survivors and heard from volunteers and members about the organization’s support for people of all ages and backgrounds as part of its mission to rebuild Jewish life in the city.

He will then join world leaders at Auschwitz-Birkenau. He will also meet with the country’s president Andrzej Duda.

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In a moving speech at the JCC, the king said: “To be in Poland on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, as we mark eighty years since the liberation of Auschwitz, is both a somber and truly holy moment.”

Elsewhere in his speech he said: “As the number of Holocaust survivors sadly diminishes with time, the responsibility of remembrance falls far more heavily on our shoulders and on the shoulders of generations yet to be born. The act of remembering the evil past remains a vital task and thus we shape our present and we shape the future.”

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King Charles to visit Auschwitz to mark 80th anniversary of liberation: ‘Never forget’

Prince William is set to be the event of the day with a heart-to-heart meeting with British Holocaust survivors in London.

The Royal Family regularly acknowledges the suffering and sacrifices made by those who have been victims of genocide throughout history and holds events in preparation for this year’s historic commemorations.

King Charles III visits the Jewish Community Center (JCC) in Krakow, Poland on January 27, 2025.

King Charles visits the Jewish Community Center (JCC) in Krakow, Poland on January 27, 2025.

VICTORIA JONES/Shutterstock/POOL/AFP via Getty

King Charles hosted a Holocaust event at Buckingham Palace on January 13, where he met 94-year-old Manfred Goldberg, a survivor of multiple concentration camps, including Stutthof. Charles also shared a close bond with Holocaust survivor Lily Ebert, who he honored at Windsor Castle in 2023 for her contribution to Holocaust education. After her death in October 2024, Charles paid a heartfelt tribute, saying: “It was with the greatest sadness that I heard the news of Lily Ebert’s passing this morning.”

King Charles III meets with food bank volunteers during his visit to the Jewish Community Center (JCC) in Krakow, Poland on January 27, 2025.

King Charles meets with food bank volunteers during a visit to the Jewish Community Center (JCC) in Krakow, Poland on January 27, 2025.

AARON CHOWN/PA/POOL/AFP via Getty

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In 2020, on the 75th anniversary of Holocaust Remembrance Day, Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton, 43, paid a moving tribute by lighting candles at commemorations in Great Britain. Among the survivors present was 82-year-old Yvonne Bernstein, one of the people featured in the powerful portraits taken by Princess Kate to mark the occasion.

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Ahead of Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27, Queen Camilla gave a speech at a reception organized by The Anne Frank Trust on January 23, saying in part: “Today, more than ever, with levels of anti-Semitism at their highest level for a generation and a disturbing rise in Islamophobia and other forms of racism and prejudice, we must heed this warning. The Holocaust was initially sown with small acts of exclusion, aggression and discrimination against those who were once neighbors and friends.

King Charles III talks to Holocaust survivors (L) during a visit to the Jewish Community Center (JCC) Krakow, to meet Holocaust survivors and hear from volunteers and members about the center's support for people of all ages and backgrounds as part of its mission to rebuild Jewish life in city ​​before attending a memorial service at Auschwitz-Birkenau on January 27, 2025 in Krakow, Poland

King Charles talks to Holocaust survivors (L) during a visit to the Jewish Community Center (JCC) Krakow.

Aaron Chown – pool/Getty

“Over a frighteningly short period of time, that seed has taken root through the complacency we can all be guilty of: turning away from injustice, ignoring what we know is wrong, thinking someone else will do what’s needed—and staying silent.

“Let us be united in our commitment to take action, to speak out and ensure that the words ‘Never Forget’ are a guiding light that charts the way to a better, brighter and more tolerant future for us all,” she added.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education

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