King makes history with ‘deeply personal pilgrimage’ to Auschwitz
The president is planning to visit the Auschwitz site on Monday in a "deeply personal pilgrimage" to commemorate the 80th anniversary of its liberation.
To preserve their histories and share them with the younger generation.
The King will participate in a commemoration ceremony at Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland, Meanwhile, the Prince of Wales will represent the Royal family at a Holocaust Memorial Day service in London.
As the King views the personal belongings taken from victims as they entered Auschwitz-Birkenau, he will place a wreath at the Death Wall, the area where, under Nazi rule, thousands of people met their deaths.
Described as a "deeply personal odyssey" for the monarch, this visit will be a particularly poignant one following many years of hearing the harrowing tales of survivors, making it a momentous occasion marking the first time a British head of state has visited the site of the former concentration and extermination camp.
Approximately 50 individuals are forecasted to make the journey this year, whereas around 300 did so a decade ago.
At an event commemorating the Holocaust at Buckingham Palace not long ago, the King explained his visit, stating: "I feel a sense that I must attend for the 80th anniversary, and I think it's essential."
A source close to the King noted: "I'm aware that, throughout his reign, there are a number of times His Majesty has reached out to those who have survived the Holocaust, but with this visit to Auschwitz, he will undoubtedly find it particularly moving.
That’s all the more poignant because of the anniversary milestone, but also because it’s an opportunity for him to reflect on the many personal accounts of hardship and bravery from those who witnessed these events firsthand, in the exact spot where it all happened.
As anyone visiting the outpost can confirm, it leaves a lasting impression on the spirit, conveying the full extent of the atrocity and a profound lesson learned that must be heeded forever.
“It will be a profoundly intimate journey for The King in all aspects of his role – as a person and as a monarch.”
The presence of the King would "elevate" the event to a global level, being "quite a signal to the world" of its importance.
"We're extremely grateful that the King has chosen to visit in this momentous year," she said.
She, who was born in Poland in 1930, was deported to Ravensbrück concentration camp and later Bergen-Belsen.
She was reunited with her brother in England after her mother and sister had been killed in an attack, and she was liberated by the British Army.
On Monday afternoon, the upcoming service will be viewed by distinguished guests including French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian leader Justin Trudeau, German Head of State Frank-Walter Steinmeier and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Also in attendance will be members of the royal families of Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Spain.
No politicians are to be allowed to make speeches at the ceremony, and instead, the ceremony will be attended by survivors.
Before the anniversary, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer paid homage to the Jewish individuals who met their deaths at the hands of the Nazi regime and reaffirmed his dedication to ensure that every school in the country includes the study of the genocide in its curriculum.
The Prime Minister stated: "The Holocaust was a campaign of hatred perpetrated by a large number of ordinary individuals who became entirely consumed by a dislike of those who were different to themselves."
That is the spitefulness we stand up against today, and it is a joint effort for all of us to conquer it.
We must commemorate the six million Jewish people who perished and uphold the truth against anyone who disputes it.
They stressed that while we reflect on the Holocaust, we also need to draw on other historical examples such as the atrocities in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.
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Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II never visited Poland at that time, prompting some criticism over the decision, which was attributed to a failure by the Foreign Office to include it as part of a 1996 tour that took her to Poland. The tour was later amended to allow her to lay a wreath at the Umschlagplatz in Warsaw, the site where more than 200,000 Jews were forcibly deported to the Treblinka extermination camp.
She was a patron of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust from its launch in 2005.
In 2005, she attended a 60th anniversary commemorations event in London, and also hosted a reception for survivors from St James's Palace.
Her Majesty the Queen, when she was still known as the Duchess of Cornwall, attended Auschwitz to represent the Royal Family on its 75th anniversary, and the Princess Royal had made the visit prior to this occasion.
At Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, and laid a wreath to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
In 2017, she described meeting survivors and that the experience was "shattering".
Various sources have expressed query regarding why the King and his predecessor had not made an official visit to Auschwitz during their respective reigns.
He drew attention to the practical difficulties of incorporating the site, situated approximately 45 miles from Krakow, into a Royal tour, and highlighted that the travel arrangements for the monarch are primarily determined by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
One of the speakers reflected on how commemoration practices have evolved over time. They pointed out that following the liberation, many survivors found it difficult to discuss their experiences for a number of years, and in some instances, they even felt discouraged from doing so.
As public perception grew and survivors felt a responsibility to pass on the horror of the event to the younger generation, Holocaust Memorial Day was first marked in 2001, with members of the royal family taking part right from the outset.
To mark Holocaust Memorial Day,
In her speech, she stated: "The seeds of the Holocaust were scattered at first in small actions of exclusion, of aggression and of discrimination towards those who were previously neighbours and friends."
Over a shockingly brief time frame, those seeds sprouted through all our own capacities for complacency: of disregarding injustice, of dismissing what we know is morally wrong, of assuming others will act, and of staying quiet.
“Let's come together in our pledge to take concrete steps, to voice our opinions and to guarantee that the phrase ‘Never Forget’ acts as a beacon of hope that paves the way to a more considerate, a more radiant and a more inclusive future for everyone.”
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