Prince William and Kate embrace Holocaust survivors at memorial event in London: 'We will never forget'

The Princess of Wales has hugged two survivors of the Holocaust, Yvonne Bernstein, 87, and Steven Frank, 89, who she photographed at Kensington Palace in 2020.

She and Prince William attended a reception for around 50 survivors of the Holocaust in London on Monday as King Charles and other royals from across Europe attended a ceremony marking 80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz in Poland.

Kate told one of the survivors it was "so important that these stories are written down" when inquiring if they had kept a diary of their experiences.

READ MORE: King Charles joins Europe's royals at Auschwitz for anniversary

Wearing pearl earrings owned by the late Queen Elizabeth II and a bracelet from the collection of Diana, Princess of Wales, Kate's attendance at the event was revealed just hours before it began. The 43-year-old also wore a five-strand pearl necklace by Jewish high-end jeweller Susan Caplan, who said on Instagram she was "honoured" that the princess wore the necklace.

Kate reunited with Bernstein and Frank, who sat for portraits with their grandchildren taken by the princess five years ago. Two of the photos were included in the 'Generations: Portraits of Holocaust Survivors' exhibition at the Imperial War Museum in London in 2021.

Holding hands with Bernstein, the princess said: "It was such a treat for me to come and see an old friend".

Frank said: "She's just such a darling, you know? She immediately knew my name – just such a lovely person. My grandchildren will be thrilled when I tell them about it when I get home.

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"And she looked well, I thought. I asked her how she was, and she said she was fine, and that's a good thing too."

Frank was aged nine and imprisoned at Theresienstadt when Auschwitz was liberated in 1945.

One of the survivors, Robert George Berkowitz, told her: "William is the luckiest man in the world to have you!"

Laughing, Kate replied: "I will tell him that!"

Speaking with Lady Milena Grenfell-Baines, Kate asked her: "Do you write a diary? It's so important that these stories are written down. They are still relevant stories."

Prince William and Kate led the UK in lighting candles to remember the Holocaust, with the Prince of Wales telling the audience "we never will forget".

"I am honoured to join you today to mark Holocaust Memorial Day and to remember the millions murdered during the Holocaust and in subsequent genocides," he said.

"We also remember those survivors, who have lived with the scars both mental and physical.

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"Their bravery in sharing with us the most harrowing moments of their lives, are extremely powerful and ensure we never forget. I assure them, we never will."

William said the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz served as a reminder of those who "risked death, torture and persecution to defy the aggressors" and help others.

The prince also praised the bravery of his great-grandmother, Princess Alice, who sheltered persecuted Jews in Athens including widow Rachel Cohen and two of her five children, Tilde and Michel.

The Cohens stayed with Princess Alice until liberation, but the years in between were not easy.

The Germans had become suspicious and Princess Alice was interviewed by the Gestapo.

But she played on her deafness, pretending not to understand them, and the Gestapo left her alone.

The Cohens survived the war thanks to the protection of Princess Alice.

In 1993 Yad Vashem – Israel's Holocaust memorial centre – bestowed the title of Righteous Among the Nations on Princess Alice.

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At the end of the ceremony, the Prince and Princess of Wales lit candles on stage before posing with a group photo with the survivors.

William later said it was important children learnt about the Holocaust, saying of their 11-year-old son: "George is getting to the age where he's starting to understand things.

"So it's getting interesting to talk to him about what happened."

In Poland, King Charles became the first British monarch to visit Auschwitz when he attended a service to mark 80 years since its liberation.

The ceremony was held at Auschwitz-Birkenau at an original railway wagon, symbolising the way the victims – mainly Jews – were transported to their deaths.

Also attending the ceremony on Monday in Poland were King Frederik and Queen Mary of Denmark, King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima and Princess Amalia of the Netherlands, Spain's King Felipe and Queen Letizia, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium, Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden.

Afterwards, the 76-year-old walked through the gates and viewed personal items confiscated from the camp's victims and laid a wreath at the "death wall" where hundreds of thousands of Jews were shot.

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