19 June 2018
HRH Prince William Arthur Philip Louis of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge, will visit Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, on Tuesday, 26 June 2018. He will be accompanied by Yad Vashem Chairman Avner Shalev through the Holocaust History Museum, participate in a memorial ceremony in the Hall of Remembrance, visit the Children’s Memorial, and sign the Yad Vashem Guest Book.
During the course of his visit to Yad Vashem, the Duke of Cambridge will meet with two Holocaust survivors, Paul Alexander and Henry Foner, both survivors of the Kindertransport rescue effort.
Media Arrangements for the Royal Visit to Yad Vashem:
Journalists and photographers wishing to cover the Royal visit to Yad Vashem must register in advance with Yad Vashem's Communications Division, media.relations@yadvashem.org.il.
Press must arrive at Yad Vashem (Visitors Center) by 09:45 with valid 2018 GPO Card.
The following photo-ops are open to full media coverage:
- Arrival at Yad Vashem
- Memorial Ceremony in the Hall of Remembrance
Additional photo-ops inside the Holocaust History Museum and at the meeting with the Holocaust survivors will be covered by a FPA Stills/TV pool. Details to follow.
The British royal family has an honorable connection to the history of the Holocaust. In 1993, Princess Alice of Battenberg and Greece, great-grandmother of Prince William, was recognized as Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem for her role in rescuing the Cohen family in Greece during the Holocaust. In 1994, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince William's grandfather, planted a tree in his mother's honor at Yad Vashem.
The Rescue Story
Princess Alice (1885-1969), mother of HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, husband of Queen Elizabeth II, 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 had been on friendly terms with the Greek royal family, particularly Princess Alice's father-in-law, King George, from before the war. Princess Alice personally saw to it that the members of the persecuted Jewish family 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.
