Camilla and Charles will separate for trip to mark Auschwitz liberation anniversary
CAMILLA, Duchess of Cornwall, and Prince Charles will make two poignant trips abroad to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau in January, Clarence House said.
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Camilla and Prince Charles will travel respectively to Poland and the Middle East to honour the 1.1 million people killed in the concentration camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau and mark the anniversary of its liberation. Prince Charles will visit alone to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories on January 23 next year.
Heading there on behalf of the British Government, the Prince of Wales will attend the World Holocaust Forum following the invitation of the Israeli President, Reuven Rivlin.
In a statement, Clarence House said: “His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales will attend the World Holocaust Forum at the invitation of Israeli President, Reuven Rivlin on 23 January 2020.
“Whilst in Israel, HRH will undertake a number of engagements on behalf of the British Government.
“The World Holocaust Forum will be held at Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Centre in Jerusalem, and will commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.”
The Forum was established in 2005, marking the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the camp, to preserve the memory of the Holocaust and work towards the end of antisemitism, racism and xenophobia.
This visit to the Middle East will be historic for Prince Charles as he will also travel for the first time to the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
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The statement continued: “At the invitation of Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, The Prince will also visit the Occupied Palestinian Territories where HRH will also undertake engagements on behalf of the British Government.”
Camilla looks set to remain home on this occasion - but she will also take part in the commemorations marking the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz later next month.
On January 27, the Duchess of Cornwall will fly to Poland to attend a service at the former concentration camp.
Clarence House said in a statement: “The Duchess of Cornwall will attend commemorations in Poland to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of former Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz-Birkenau.
“Her Royal Highness will attend a service at the former Auschwitz-Birkenau camp on Monday 27th January 2020, International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
“Approximately 200 Auschwitz and Holocaust survivors from the United Kingdom and several other European countries, the United States, Canada, Israel and Australia will take part in the service.”
This will be the Duchess’ third official visit to Poland - after she travelled there twice with Prince Charles in 2008 and 2010.
These trips will come a month after Prince Charles hosted a reception at Buckingham Palace on December 5 where he celebrated the role of the Jewish community in British life.
On that occasion, Clarence House said: “The Prince of Wales has a long history of supporting minority communities in the UK and around the world.
“This particular event was planned in the spring to celebrate the contributions made by members of the Jewish community to all aspects of British life.”
Charles became patron of The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust in 2017.