The Prince of Wales shared a touching family story as a tribute during a Holocaust Memorial Day service in London marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Prince William assured survivors that their experiences will 'never be forgotten' and told a story about his great-grandmother, Princess Alice of Battenberg, who sheltered a Jewish widow and some of her children in Athens, protecting them from deportation to the death camps. Princess Kate joined William to light candles and pay tribute to those who died.
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00:00I am honoured to join you today to mark Holocaust Memorial Day and to remember
00:06the millions murdered during the Holocaust and in subsequent genocides.
00:11We also remember those survivors who have lived with the scars both mental
00:17and physical. Their bravery in sharing with us the most harrowing moments of
00:24their lives are extremely powerful and ensure we never forget. I assure them we
00:32never will. On this, the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, we also
00:41recall those who risked their own lives to help and save others. They risked
00:47death, torture and persecution to defy the aggressors. I was recently reminded
00:54of my great-grandmother, Princess Alice of Battenberg, who lived in Athens during
01:00the Second World War. This is an extract from the book Heroes of the Holocaust.
01:08In the early days of German occupation, conditions deteriorated rapidly as food
01:14ran out when an estimated 300,000 people died. Conditions were particularly
01:20severe in Athens and its port, Piraeus. Alice worked tirelessly for the Red
01:27Cross, helping to organize soup kitchens, opening shelters for orphaned children
01:33and setting up a nursing system for poor areas of the city. It was at this time
01:40that Princess Alice gave refuge to a Jewish widow, Rachel Cohen, and two of her
01:46five children to save them from deportation to the death camps. This was
01:52an extremely risky undertaking in the close-packed streets of Athens, where
01:57there was always the danger of spies and gossip. On the 15th of October 1943,
02:04Rachel Cohen and Tilda moved into Alice's home. The staff were told that
02:09Mrs. Cohen was the former governess to her children. Michelle, the youngest of
02:15the four brothers, joined them about a month later. There were great risks, not
02:20least the position of the house. The front door faced the residence of the
02:24local archbishop, which always had a German guard on duty outside. She was
02:30sometimes interviewed by the Gestapo and used her deafness to an advantage,
02:36pretending not to understand their questions or what they were talking
02:39about. It worked and they soon gave up. Thanks to her, the entire Cohen family
02:47survived the war. It's been a great honor for Catherine and I to join you all today.
03:06And the land is dark. And the moon is the only light we see.
03:23Oh, I won't be afraid. Oh, I won't be afraid.
03:39Just as long as you stand by me.
03:48So darling, darling, stand by me.
03:56Stand by me. Stand by me.
04:05Stand by me. Stand by me.