The Duchess of Cambridge is behind the camera again. But this time, it’s for a profound and historic cause.
Kate photographed two Holocaust survivors, Steven Frank and Yvonne Bernstein, along with their grandchildren and sentimental items of personal significance, in honor of Holocaust Memorial Day in the U.K. The photos were taken at Kensington Palace and will be part of an upcoming exhibition showcasing 75 different moving images, marking the 75 years that have passed since the end of the Holocaust.
According to People, Kate was reportedly honored to be granted the chance to photograph the survivors and wanted to pay tribute to their “life-affirming” stories.
“The harrowing atrocities of the Holocaust, which were caused by the most unthinkable evil, will forever lay heavy in our hearts. Yet it is so often through the most unimaginable adversity that the most remarkable people flourish,” said the duchess in a statement. “Despite unbelievable trauma at the start of their lives, Yvonne Bernstein and Steven Frank are two of the most life-affirming people that I have had the privilege to meet.”
Kate went on to say that her time meeting with and photographing the survivors is a memory that she will cherish forever.
“They look back on their experiences with sadness but also with gratitude that they were some of the lucky few to make it through. Their stories will stay with me forever. 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. It is vital that their memories are preserved and passed on to future generations, so that what they went through will never be forgotten.”
From Harper’s Bazaar US
