The King and Queen host a reception at Buckingham Palace to mark Holocaust Memorial Day
Published
The King and Queen marked Holocaust Memorial Day by hosting a reception for survivors of the Holocaust and their families alongside organisations who are working to ensure the memory of the Holocaust lives on.
Holocaust Memorial Day takes place every year on 27th January, the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau. The day commemorates the six million Jewish people murdered during the Holocaust, and the millions more murdered under Nazi persecution.
The theme for Holocaust Memorial Day 2026 was Bridging Generations, which encourages the next generations to listen, learn and carry forward the lessons from the Holocaust.
His Majesty is patron of The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust (HMDT). HMDT is the charity established by the UK Government to promote and support Holocaust Memorial Day in the UK. Holocaust Memorial Day has taken place in the UK since 2001, with a national Commemorative Ceremony and thousands of activities around the country, reaching millions of people.
During the reception, The King joined Holocaust survivors and their families in a viewing of the portraits of seven Holocaust survivors who had been honoured for services to Holocaust awareness and education. These paintings were commissioned by His Majesty as Prince of Wales and are currently on display in the East Wing of Buckingham Palace.
Following the portrait viewing, The King and Queen met some of their Patronages who are working to educate future generations about the Holocaust including Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, Anne Frank Trust UK and The Holocaust Educational Trust. Her Majesty also viewed the painting, Anne Frank: Resistance, a portrait of Anne Frank by Peter Sacks, created for the Anne Frank Trust UK.
The Queen is patron of Anne Frank Trust UK. The Trust works with young people aged 9–15 across the UK, using the story of Anne Frank and the history of the Holocaust to help them recognise antisemitism and all forms of prejudice, and to develop the confidence and skills to challenge it.
The Holocaust Educational Trust was founded in 1988. The charity’s mission is to raise awareness and understanding in schools and amongst the wider public of the Holocaust and its relevance today. The Holocaust Educational Trust reaches over 100,000 people every year across their programmes.
The King and Queen lit candles as a symbolic act of remembrance and hope for the future.
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