(LONDON) — The Duchess of Cambridge is participating in Holocaust Memorial Day observances with photographs she took of survivors for an exhibition marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
The Duchess, an avid photo buff, described the survivors in her portraits as “two of the most life-affirming people that I have had the privilege to meet.” The photos were released Sunday night.
The first image is of 84-year-old Steven Frank, originally from Amsterdam The camp survivor is pictured alongside his granddaughters Maggie and Trixie Fleet, aged 15 and 13. The other image is that of 82-year-old Yvonne Bernstein, originally from Germany, who hid in France. She is pictured with her granddaughter Chloe Wright, aged 11.
The portraits will be part of an exhibition that will open later this year.
Read more: What Translating a Firsthand Account of Life in Auschwitz Taught Me About the Language of Suffering
“Whilst I have been lucky enough to meet two of the now very few survivors, I recognize not everyone in the future will be able to hear these stories first hand,” the duchess said in a statement. “It is vital that their memories are preserved and passed on to future generations, so that what they went through will never be forgotten.”
The images, taken at Kensington Palace earlier this month, are a part of a project involving the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, the Jewish News and the Royal Photographic Society.
