King’s ‘deeply personal pilgrimage’ as he becomes the first monarch to visit Auschwitz…
The King will become the first British monarch to set foot on the site of Auschwitz on Monday, as he makes a “deeply personal pilgrimage” to mark the 80th anniversary of its liberation.
Royal sources said he will pay tribute “both as man and monarch” after years of working with Holocaust survivors to preserve their memories and share them with a new generation.
The King will attend the commemoration service at Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland, while the Prince of Wales represents the Royal family at a London service for Holocaust Memorial Day.
Walking through the camp’s haunting “Arbeit Macht Frei” gate and viewing the collection of personal items confiscated from victims as they entered Auschwitz-Birkenau, the King will lay a wreath at the site known as the Death Wall, where several thousand people were executed under the Nazi regime.
Described as a “deeply personal pilgrimage” for the King, and a “particularly poignant” visit after hearing the stories of survivors in engagements over many years, it will be the first time a British monarch has visited the site of the concentration and extermination camp.
Around 50 survivors are expected to make the journey this year, compared with 300 a decade ago.
At a Holocaust education event at Buckingham Palace earlier this month the King said about visiting: “I feel I must for the 80th anniversary,” adding: “It’s so important.”
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