King Charles to make history as he visits Auschwitz on 80th anniversary of camp's liberation

26 January 2025, 23:27

The King will make history as he becomes the first British monarch to visit the Auschwitz concentration camp on Monday.

Charles will travel to the death camp to mark the 80th anniversary of its liberation as the world pays tribute to victims and survivors on Holocaust Memorial Day.

He will join survivors and other dignitaries invited to a service at the site of the former concentration camp in Poland on Monday, also meeting the country's President Andrzej Duda during his brief visit.

It is not Charles’ first time visiting Poland but it will be the first time a reigning monarch has visited the site of one of the Nazi regimes’ most despicable crimes.

Charles’ son, the Prince of Wales, will attend commemoration services in London in the King’s absence.

It comes as Sir Keir Starmer is set to speak of the "collective endeavour" to defeat the "hatred of difference" on Holocaust Memorial Day.

In a statement, the PM will pay tribute to the six million Jewish people murdered by the Nazi regime and renewed his commitment to ensure all schools across the country teach students about the genocide.

"The Holocaust was a collective endeavour by thousands of ordinary people utterly consumed by the hatred of difference," Sir Keir is expected to say.

"That is the hatred we stand against today and it is a collective endeavour for all of us to defeat it.

"We must start by remembering the six million Jewish victims and by defending the truth against anyone who would deny it."

“As we remember, we must also act," the PM is expected to add, pointing other atrocities in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur which followed the Holocaust.

"Today, we have to make those words mean more. We will make Holocaust education a truly national endeavour.

"We will ensure all schools teach it and seek to give every young person the opportunity to hear a recorded survivor testimony, because by learning from survivors we can develop that empathy for others and that appreciation of our common humanity, which is the ultimate way to defeat the hatred of difference.

"It happened, it can happen again: that is the warning of the Holocaust to us all. And it's why it is a duty for all of us to make 'never again' finally mean what it says: never again."

The Prime Minister has also visited Auschwitz earlier this month, where he vowed to fight the "poison of antisemitism".

On Wednesday, he welcomed a group of survivors and their families to Downing Street, describing the meeting as "an incredible privilege" and praising their "sheer and remarkable courage".

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch highlighted the importance of combating the “resurgence of antisemitism today” as she reflected on the “unique evil” of the Holocaust.

Meanwhile, Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey called on Britain to guard against “antisemitism, hatred, discrimination and oppression.”