King Charles releases statement after death of Anne Frank’s stepsister

King Charles has paid tribute to the stepsister of Anne Frank, who died on 3 January at the age of 96.

In a statement, the King said, “My wife and I are greatly saddened to hear of the death of Eva Schloss.

“The horrors that she endured as a young woman are impossible to comprehend, and yet she devoted the rest of her life to overcoming hatred and prejudice, promoting kindness, courage, understanding and resilience through her tireless work for the Anne Frank Trust UK and for Holocaust education across the world.

“We are both privileged and proud to have known her, and we admired her deeply. May her memory be a blessing to us all.”

King Charles danced with Schloss in 2022 while visiting a Jewish community centre in London.

Schloss was born Eva Geiringer in Austria and lived for many years near the Frank family in Amsterdam.

The Holocaust survivor was imprisoned in Auschwitz. She and her mother were liberated by Soviet forces in 1945. Several years after the liberation, Eva’s mother married Otto Frank, the father of the famous diarist Anne Frank. Anne Frank died with her sister in Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945. Their mother, Edith, died at Auschwitz earlier the same year.

Eva was co-founder and honorary president of the Anne Frank Trust. Queen Camilla is the patron of the organisation.

Eva’s family paid tribute to her, saying, “We hope her legacy will continue to inspire through the books, films and resources she leaves behind.

“We are incredibly proud of all that Eva stood for and accomplished, but right now, we are grieving.”