King Charles made an emotional and historic visit to the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp for the 80th anniversary of its liberation from the Nazis.
The King joined royals from across Europe at the ceremony in front of ‘The Gate of Death’ of the camp that included remarks by survivors of Auschwitz and lighting candles in memory of the victims.
His Majesty was seen wiping away tears during the ceremony in Oświęcim, Poland, as survivors spoke of the conditions of the camp and the rise in anti-Semitism in the world today.
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King Charles is the first British monarch to visit the concentration camp in what has been described as a “deeply personal pilgrimage” by a source in People magazine.
His Majesty also received a tour of the camp, and earlier in the day, he met Holocaust survivors and volunteers at the Jewish Community Centre in Krakow.
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There, he gave a speech where he stressed the importance of never forgetting the atrocities of the Holocaust, “As the number of Holocaust survivors diminishes with the passing of time, the responsibility of remembrance rests on our shoulders. Remembering the past remains an important task.”
The King’s paternal grandmother, Princess Alice, sheltered Jews in Athens, Greece, during World War II and has been named “Righteous Among the Nations” by Yad Vashem – Israel’s official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. She is buried on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem’s Church of Mary Magdalene.
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This year marks 80 years since Auschwitz was liberated on 27 January 1945 by Soviet forces; 27 January is marked annually as Holocaust Memorial Day.
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