Princess Katherine experienced an emotional reunion with an old friend as she and Prince William met with Holocaust survivors ahead of a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
The royal couple gathered with approximately 50 survivors of the Nazi atrocities, as well as individuals who had endured later genocides, at a reception held at London’s Guildhall on Monday afternoon.
Dressed in all black, Princess Katherine was visibly moved as she reunited with Ion Bernstein, 87, and Steven Frank, 89, both of whom she had previously photographed in 2020. As she embraced Ion, she expressed her delight at seeing her again.
The two women sat together, holding hands, with Ion gently stroking the princess’s arm and thanking her for attending. Katherine responded warmly, saying it was a true pleasure to reconnect with an old friend.
She also shared a heartfelt hug with Steven, who expressed gratitude for the Christmas card she had sent him. The two engaged in conversation about his family. Steven, who was born into a secular Jewish family in Amsterdam, survived two concentration camps during the Second World War. As part of the 75th anniversary of Auschwitz’s liberation, Princess Katherine had captured portraits of Holocaust survivors and their families. This collection, titled Generations: Portraits of Holocaust Survivors, was later exhibited at the Imperial War Museum in London in August 2021.
The royal couple then joined the survivors for a group photograph, accompanied by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner. The ceremony marked Katherine’s second public engagement of the year, following her visit to the Royal Marsden Hospital in London on January 14. The 43-year-old recently revealed that she is in remission from cancer, just over four months after completing chemotherapy.
