Kate Middleton and Prince William pay their respects at Holocaust memorial service
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have arrived at a Holocaust memorial service in Westminster to pay their respects to those who were killed by the Nazis during the Second World War.
Today is the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Polish concentration camp Auschwitz by Soviet soldiers. Around one million people were sent to their deaths there by Hitler and his henchmen in an act of mass genocide. Millions of others were killed in a network of other camps across Nazi-held land.
Prince William will read a letter from a friend of his great-grandmother Princess Alice, the Duke of Edinburgh's late mother, at the ceremony. She is famed for saving a Jewish family from being sent to a concentration camp during the Holocaust.
The Cambridges will also meet other Holocaust survivors and light candles for those killed in acts of genocide.
Kate arrived for the ceremony wearing a grey coat dress by Catherine Walker. She was shielded from the London rain by William holding an umbrella.
Earlier, photos of Holocaust survivors Steven Frank and Yvonne Bernstein taken by the Duchess were released to mark the occasion. Kensington Palace also shared behind-the-scenes pictures of avid photographer Kate meeting the pair before the photo shoot.
A post shared by Kensington Palace (@kensingtonroyal) on Jan 26, 2020 at 2:05pm PST
The Duchess of Cambridge said: 'The harrowing atrocities of the Holocaust, which were caused by the most unthinkable evil, will forever lay heavy in our hearts. Yet it is so often through the most unimaginable adversity that the most remarkable people flourish.
'Despite unbelievable trauma at the start of their lives, Yvonne Bernstein and Steven Frank are two of the most life-affirming people that I have had the privilege to meet. They look back on their experiences with sadness but also with gratitude that they were some of the lucky few to make it through. Their stories will stay with me forever.'
A post shared by Kensington Palace (@kensingtonroyal) on Jan 27, 2020 at 2:07am PST
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