King Charles was photographed wiping away tears as he became the first British monarch to visit Auschwitz concentration camp.
Holocaust survivors are marking 80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz, and heads of state from all over Europe have gathered at the Nazi concentration camp in Poland to commemorate the historic event.
King Charles, who was sat in between King Frederik of Denmark and Queen Mathilde of Belgium, could be seen visibly getting emotional while listening to survivors’ testimonies.
The emotional service was held at the Auschwitz-Birkenau museum and memorial.
King Charles wipes away tears as he becomes first British monarch to visit Auschwitz
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Over a million people, including Jews, Poles, Soviet prisoners of war and other nationalities, were murdered by the Nazis at Auschwitz-Birkenau during World War Two.
The Holocaust was one of the most tragic events in human history, in which six million Jewish men, women and children were killed.
King Charles, 76, was photographed listening intently to Auschwitz survivors recall their stories of surviving the Nazi death camp.
The service was held in front of the gates of the former Nazi concentration camp which reads: “Arbeit Macht Frei.” This directly translates to “work sets you free.”
King Charles is the first British head of state to step foot in Auschwitz
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Auschwitz survivors spoke to invited guests, including France’s President Emmanuel Macron, Ukraine’s Vlodymyr Zelenskyy, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands and Spain’s King Philip and Queen Letizia.
Once the ceremony concludes, King Charles will walk through the gates to view personal items confiscated from victims when they entered the camp.
He will also lay a wreath at a reconstruction of the Death Wall, the site where several thousand people, mainly Polish political prisoners, were executed.
Earlier today, King Charles visited the JCC in Krakow, where he was welcomed by the centre’s CEO Jonathan Ornstein and Maurice Helfgott, Chair of World Jewish Relief, the organisation that designed and helps fund the JCC.
King Charles and Queen Mathilde could both be seen visibly emotional
Reuters
King Charles listened to testimonies by survivors of the Holocaust
PA
During his visit, the King met with members of the centre’s Senior Club, which supports elderly members of Krakow’s Jewish community, including Holocaust survivors.
In a speech, the King said: “To be in Poland on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, as we commemorate eighty years since the liberation of Auschwitz, is both a sombre and indeed a sacred moment.
“It is a moment when we recall the six million Jews, old and young, who were systematically murdered, together with Sinti, Roma, disabled people, members of the LGBT community, political prisoners, and so many others upon whom the Nazis inflicted their violence and hatred.
“It is 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. And it is a moment when we recall the powerful testimonies of Survivors such as Lily Ebert, who so sadly passed away in October, and who collectively taught us to cherish our freedom, to challenge prejudice and never to be a bystander in the face of violence and hate.”
