Princess Kate joined Prince William for an important event on Monday, Jan. 27.
Kate Middleton hadn’t initially been confirmed to join Prince William at a service commemorating the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps. However, it was confirmed on the day itself that the Princess of Wales would be joining her husband for the memorial, People reported. “Princess Kate’s inclusion marks a significant and unexpected addition,” the outlet explained.
Holocaust Memorial Day takes place annually on Jan. 27. The international memorial urges people around the world to “remember the 6 million Jews murdered during the Holocaust,” per the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust. “We also commemorate the millions more people murdered through the Nazi persecution of other groups and in the more recent genocides recognized by the U.K. government, and the genocide in Darfur,” the website explained.
The Prince and Princess of Wales met with Holocaust survivors at the memorial service in central London, The Independent reported. “It is great to be here today with my husband,” Kate explained, calling the chance to attend the crucial memorial “a great honor.”
King Charles commemorated Holocaust Memorial Day by visiting Krakow’s Jewish Community Centre (JCC). “Inspired by a memorable meeting in 2002 with Holocaust survivors, including Ryszard Orowski, The King’s involvement helped lead to the JCC’s official opening in 2008,” the Royal Family’s Instagram account explained, while sharing video footage of the monarch’s trip. “During the visit, His Majesty met as they prepared donations at the JCC’s Free Shop, which provides essential supplies for refugees. To date, the centre has supported over 380,000 displaced Ukrainians in Poland.”
While visiting the JCC, King Charles gave a speech, saying that the memorial was “a moment when we recall the depths to which humanity can sink when evil is allowed to flourish, ignored for too long by the world,” The Independent reported. The monarch continued, “In a world that remains full of turmoil and strife and has witnessed the emergence of antisemitism, there can be no more important message…The act of remembering the evil of the past remains a vital task.”
