The Duchess of Cornwall encouraged people to stand up to prejudice in advance of Holocaust Memorial Day, saying “our personal values are measured by the things we are prepared to ignore.”
She delivered a moving speech during the Anne Frank Trust UK’s annual luncheon to honour Holocaust Memorial Day, which is 27 January.
This year also marks the 75th anniversary of the publication of Anne Frank’s diary, which was released in 1947, two years after her death. The Duchess of Cornwall was presented with a copy of the diary at the event, held at the InterContinental London Park Lane hotel.
Sharing that she first read Anne Frank’s diary when she was around the same age as when Frank started her “harrowing memoir,” Camilla highlighted how Frank’s experiences “continue to inspire a worldwide movement of anti-prejudice education” such as the Anne Frank Trust.
The charity, which is the official UK partner of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, was founded in 1991 by friends of Frank’s father. The Trust empowers young people aged 10 to 15 to challenge all forms of prejudice, inspired by the life and work of Anne Frank.
The duchess was introduced to Frank’s 92-year-old stepsister Eva Schloss MBE, who serves as honorary president of the Anne Frank Trust UK, as well as other Holocaust survivors at the event.
Camilla stressed that we must learn from people like Schloss and others “who bore witness to the horrors of the Holocaust, and all subsequent genocides, and commit ourselves to keeping their stories alive, so that each generation will be ready to tackle hatred in any of its terrible forms.”
Camilla was seated between Schloss and guest speaker Dame Joanna Lumley while they watched presentations from Anne Frank Young Ambassadors attending Brinsworth Academy in Rotherham, Grove Academy in Dundee and Oaks Park High School in Redbridge, London.
A short film the students created for Holocaust Memorial Day was premiered at the event, sharing their own experiences of prejudice. The students later had the opportunity to speak with the Duchess of Cornwall about the work they’ve carried out on behalf of the charity.
She also took part in an emotional candle-lighting ceremony in memory of the Holocaust and other genocides, as well as victims of modern-day hate crime.
Amongst those participating in the ceremony was Katie Amess, daughter of the late Sir David Amess MP. She lit a candle for her father, who was killed in October 2021 during a meeting with his constituents in Southend-on-Sea.
Annabel Schild, daughter of Kindertransportee Rolf Schild, also lit a candle, as well as Michelle Parker, a survivor of the mass shooting in Plymouth, and former cricketer Azeem Rafiq. Rafiq, who apologized for his past antisemitic comments, lit a candle in honour of the Jewish community’s forgiveness for his remarks and also in hopes of ending the racism he experienced while playing cricket.
The theme for 2022’s Holocaust Memorial Day is “One Day,” reflecting the hope for a world without prejudice or genocide.
