Prince Edward's Visit to Yad Vashem

Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex visited Yad Vashem today.

After a guided tour of the Holocaust History Museum, the Prince visited the tree planted at Yad Vashem in honor of his grandmother, Princess Alice, who saved a Jewish family in Greece during the Holocaust. Princess Alice was recognized by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations in 1993, and her tree was planted by Prince Philip (Princess Alice's son and Prince Edward's father) during his visit to Israel in October 1994.

Prince Edward continued his visit with a memorial ceremony in the Hall of Remembrance where he laid a wreath in memory of the Holocaust martyrs, and concluded by visiting the Children's Memorial.

The rescue story

Princess Alice (1885-1969), mother of Queen Elizabeth II of England's husband, hid the three members of the Cohen family – Rachel, Tilda and Michelle in her palace in Athens during the Nazi occupation of Greece (end of 1943-end of October 1944).

The Cohens were on friendly terms with the Greek royal family, particularly Princess Alice's husband's father, King George, even before the war. Princess Alice personally saw to it that they had everything they needed, and even visited them in their hiding place, spending many hours in their company.

Thanks to Princess Alice, the Cohen family survived the Holocaust and today lives in France. The princess died in 1969, and in 1988, as per her request, her remains were brought to Israel and interred in the Gethsemane Church, Jerusalem.