King Charles marks 80th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz in Poland

It was His Majesty's first overseas visit of 2025

King Charles has conducted his first overseas visit of 2025 by attending a commemoration service at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum and Memorial in Poland, marking 80 years since the liberation of the former German Nazi concentration camp on 27th January 1945. He has become the first British Monarch to visit the concentration camp in Poland.

The visit comes after it was reported that His Majesty is set to resume a full programme of overseas engagements this year, as his treatment continues to progress positively following his cancer diagnosis in early 2024.

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King Charles joined survivors of the Holocaust, Heads of State and Governments, as well as Royals, for a service marking the 80th anniversary of Auschwitz.

Other Royals who attended the service included King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain, Crown Prince of Norway, Prince Guillaume & Princess Stephanie of Luxembourg, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium, King Frederik X and Queen Mary of Denmark and Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange.

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The Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz Concentration Camp is a solemn reminder of one of the darkest periods in human history. Observed annually on January 27, this day marks the moment in 1945 when Soviet forces liberated the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp, revealing the extent of the Nazi regime’s atrocities. This anniversary is not only a commemoration of the victims but also a call to remember the lessons of the Holocaust and reaffirm a global commitment to human rights and dignity.

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On January 27, 1945, soldiers of the Soviet Red Army arrived at the gates of Auschwitz, located in occupied Poland. What they found shocked the world. Over 7,000 prisoners were still alive, many too weak to stand. Over 6 million Jews were killed during the Holocaust, 1.1 million of them murdered at Auschwitz. Auschwitz differed from other camps because it included a concentration camp, a labour camp and large gas chambers and crematoria. Those not sent directly to the gas chambers upon arrival were sentenced to forced labour.

Auschwitz-Birkenau was the largest and deadliest of the Nazi concentration and extermination camps. Its liberation symbolised the collapse of the Nazi genocidal system and exposed the horrors of the Holocaust. For the survivors, the day represented both relief and the immense grief of lost families and communities.

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Prior to the service at Auschwitz, The King visited the Jewish Community Centre Krakow, which he opened in 2008. During the visit, His Majesty met senior members of the Jewish community who regularly use the centre, as well as seeing first hand how this community’s work has evolved to provide the first educational space for Jewish children in Kraków.

The King also gave a speech, where he noted that to be in Poland on Holocaust Memorial Day and 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz is ‘a sombre and indeed a sacred moment’.

King Charles visited Jewish Community Centre Krakow during his one-visit to Poland. (Royal Family)

King Charles visited Jewish Community Centre Krakow during his one-visit to Poland. (Royal Family)

Charles said that the anniversary ‘is a moment when we recall the depths to which humanity can sink when evil is allowed to flourish, ignored for too long by the world. And it is a moment when we recall the powerful testimonies of Survivors such as Lily Ebert, who so sadly passed away in October, and who collectively taught us to cherish our freedom, to challenge prejudice and never to be a bystander in the face of violence and hate’.

Highlighting how the number ‘Holocaust Survivors regrettably diminishes with the passage of time’, Charles says that ‘the responsibility of remembrance rests far heavier on our shoulders, and on those of generations yet unborn’.

‘The act of remembering the evils of the past remains a vital task and in so doing, we inform our present and shape our future.’

His Majesty went on to praise the Centre, stating he had ‘immense pride’ in opening it 17 years ago, when he was ‘filled with a sense of hope and optimism at the life and energy that coursed through the building’.

‘In a post-Holocaust world, projects such as this Centre are how we recover our faith in humanity. They also show us there is much work still to be done if we are not just to remember the past, but to use it to inspire us to build a kinder and more compassionate world for future generations; a world of which we can be truly proud. And this remains the sacred task of us all’.

Charles met a number of those who benefit from the Centre. (Royal Family)

The British Royal Family has consistently marked the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and Holocaust Memorial Day with solemnity and respect. As Patron of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, King Charles has demonstrated his dedication to Holocaust remembrance and education over the years, both as Prince of Wales and King. His engagement with survivors, students, and educators highlights his determination to ensure the lessons of the Holocaust remain a vital part of collective memory. In 2022, Charles, during his tenure as Prince of Wales, commissioned portraits of seven Holocaust survivors as a living memorial to the victims of the Shoah.

Additionally, to commemorate the 75th anniversary in 2020, Camilla, the then-Duchess of Cornwall, led the UK delegation to Poland, joining Holocaust survivors, heads of state, and government leaders, in Poland. Camilla has frequently engaged in activities related to Holocaust Memorial Day, reflecting her dedication to honouring its significance.

In 2022, Her Majesty marked the 75th anniversary of the publication of The Diary of Anne Frank by reflecting on her visit to Poland in 2020. She described the experience as a “solemn privilege” and recalled a moving speech delivered by Marian Turski, a survivor of Auschwitz. Marian highlighted how discriminatory laws in 1930s Nazi Germany gradually eroded the rights of Jewish people—banning them from park benches, swimming pools, choral societies, and restricting shopping hours. He warned of how people—victims, perpetrators, and witnesses—can become desensitized to exclusion, stigmatisation, and alienation of friends and neighbours. Marian’s poignant message was clear: “You should never, never be a bystander.”

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