View In Browser

By CNN Royal Correspondent Max Foster and Billy Stockwell in London

Victoria Jones/POOL/AFP/Getty Images

King Charles became the first British monarch to visit the former Nazi death camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau earlier this week, to mark Holocaust Memorial Day and the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the camp complex. 

Other senior royals, including Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, attended memorial services back in the UK, where Kate reunited with two Holocaust survivors, Steven Frank and Yvonne Bernstein, whom she photographed with their grandchildren back in 2020.  

“(It is) such a treat for me (to see) an old friend,” Kate told Bernstein, according to the PA Media news agency. After the event, Frank told reporters that Kate “immediately knew my name, such a lovely person. My grandchildren would be thrilled.”

In Poland, Charles began the day's commemorations on Monday by visiting a Jewish community center in Krakow, which he and his wife, Camilla, opened in 2008. There, Charles met members of the Jewish community, including the Chief Rabbi of Poland.

During a speech at the center, Charles said the anniversary was the “moment when we recall the depths to which humanity can sink when evil is allowed to flourish, ignored for too long by the world,” while also highlighting the “dangerous re-emergence of antisemitism” around the world. 

Later that day, he travelled to the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp itself, where he passed through the infamous “Arbeit Macht Frei” gate (the inscription translates as “Work sets you free”) before laying a wreath in memory of all those who lost their lives. 

He also toured the complex – which is now a museum – and viewed exhibits of personal items seized from victims upon their arrival at the camp. 

Charles did not give a speech at the camp, but he did write a moving message in the museum’s visitor book. “Remembering what took place here, and those who were so cruelly murdered is a duty; a sacred duty that must be protected,” he wrote, according to PA. 

“Being here today, hearing the stories of those who experienced its horrors, seeing the shoes of children whose lives were taken when they’d just begun, and walking the paths upon which such cruelty was inflicted, is something that I will never forget.” 

Arthur Edwards/WPA Pool/Getty Images

In the evening, the King was visibly moved as he joined world leaders at a ceremony to hear survivors recall their stories and speak about the importance of learning from what happened at the camp 80 years ago.  

“Those who lived to see freedom, there were hardly, hardly, none. So few. And now, there is only a handful,” Marian Turski, 98, who was sent to Auschwitz in 1944, told the audience.

Turski said people’s thoughts should go toward the millions of victims “who will never tell us what they experienced, or they felt, just because they were consumed by that mass destruction.” 

While we don’t know why Charles’ mother, Queen Elizabeth II, never visited Auschwitz, Ed Owens, a royal historian and commentator, reminds us that the late monarch associated herself with a number of charities that supported Holocaust survivors. She also visited the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 2015. 

Speaking about the King’s attendance earlier this week, Owens said the trip comes at a time “when the liberal democratic order is very anxious about the return of extremism,” adding that “it makes the commemoration of the Holocaust all the more important.”

“It’s therefore something that the British royal family are seeking to promote in alignment with their broader promotion of liberal democratic values, and the commemorative practices that underpin those values,” he said. 

Meanwhile, back in the UK, the Princess of Wales warmly embraced Holocaust survivors in London's Guildhall, as Prince William commended their courage. “Their bravery in sharing with us the most harrowing moments of their lives are extremely powerful and ensure we never forget,” William said during the service. 

“I assure them we never will,” he added. 

Prince William visits eco farm on Welsh border. 

On Tuesday, Prince William visited a farm in western England to see how a family is putting sustainable agriculture into practice. The site is one of seven “Focus Farms,” an initiative supported by their landlord, the Duchy of Cornwall, which helps spread knowledge of greener farming methods. Phil and Heather Gorringe, along with their son Monty, have made many positive changes over the years at Lower Blakemere Farm, improving soil health and boosting biodiversity. In a fun moment, William got his hands dirty, picking up worms from a bucket while learning more about the farm’s composting business. The prince also got a look at some new equipment, including a large seed drill, and toured the new grain store. Their old store has been turned into a space for local events. The estate is a part of the “Ridge to River” project, which brings together 16 local farms to help protect nature and will contribute to the Duchy of Cornwall’s goal of achieving net zero across its land by 2032. 

Jacob King/POOL/AFP/Getty Images

Princess Beatrice gives birth to second daughter.

Princess Beatrice, the elder daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, has given birth to a daughter named Athena Elizabeth Rose Mapelli Mozzi, Buckingham Palace announced on Wednesday. Athena was born at 12.57 p.m. local time on January 22, weighing four pounds and five ounces. She was born at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London. “Their Majesties The King and Queen and other members of The Royal Family have all been informed and are delighted with the news,” the palace said in a statement, adding that both mother and baby are “healthy and doing well.” Proud grandmother Sarah Ferguson posted on X that she was “overflowing with love and joy to be able to welcome Athena Elizabeth Rose into the world.” Athena’s first middle name is a tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth. Read more about the new member of the royal clan here. 

Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi/Buckingham Palace/Handout/Getty Images

Kate continued her phased return to public duties on Thursday, visiting a children’s hospice in Wales, as it was announced that she’d become a patron of the organization. Tŷ Hafan, whose name means “Haven House” in Welsh, was the first children’s hospice in the principality when it opened in 1999. Based in the village of Sully, near the capital, Cardiff, the charity provides care and support to children with life-shortening conditions, as well as their families. During her visit, the princess spent time with children receiving care at the hospice and joined a “stay and play” session with them, according to Kensington Palace. She also met with bereaved families supported by the hospice. Find out more about Kate’s hospice visit here.   

Richard Pohle/Getty Images

Millie Pilkington/Buckingham Palace/AFP/Handout/Getty Images

Buckingham Palace issued a new photograph of King Charles on January 25 to celebrate Burns Night, a celebration held every year in honor of Scottish poet Robert Burns. The photo, which shows Charles wearing a kilt made from a special type of tartan named after the monarch, was taken last fall in the library at Balmoral Castle in Ballater, Scotland.  

Richard Pohle/WPA Pool/Getty Images

Prince William and some schoolkids got up to mischief on Tuesday, spraying water at journalists after examining species living in a pond in Guildford, southern England. The prince was checking out technology designed by NatureMetrics, one of the finalists of his 2024 Earthshot Prize. 

In the lab, founder Kat Bruce showed William how they analyse DNA extracted from water, air or soil samples to help companies around the world measure and report their impact on their environment. Since becoming a finalist with the prince’s environmental initiative, the company has secured millions in investment. 

William also acted as assistant to content creator and music artist Big Manny on his popular TikTok account as they extracted DNA from strawberries (Check out the collab here). The 27-year-old biomedical graduate has joined forces with the Earthshot Prize to share the eco solutions the initiative spotlights with his 2 million followers. 

"As the number of Holocaust survivors regrettably diminishes with the passage of time, the responsibility of remembrance rests far heavier on our shoulders, and on those of generations yet unborn."

– King Charles III

During his visit to the Jewish Community Centre in Krakow on Monday, Charles spoke about the responsibility we all share to carry forward the stories of Holocaust survivors, in order to “inform our present and shape our future.” 

CNN's Lauren Said-Moorhouse, Kathy Rose O'Brien and Jia Doshi contributed to this newsletter.