The Duchess of Cambridge has taken a series of powerful images of Holocaust survivors to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
The images taken by the Duchess of Cambridge will feature in an exhibition marking 75 years since the end of the genocide and show survivors pictured alongside their children and grandchildren.
Kate was among those behind the lens for the project and described the survivors in her portraits as “two of the most life-affirming people that I have had the privilege to meet”.
Each of the portraits, four of which were released on Monday to mark Holocaust Memorial Day, depicts the special connection between a survivor and younger generations of their family.
The duchess, a keen photographer and patron of the Royal Photographic Society (RPS), spent time with her two subjects, Yvonne Bernstein, 82, and Steven Frank, 84, before photographing them.
Frank, originally from Amsterdam, survived multiple concentration camps as a child and is pictured alongside his granddaughters Maggie and Trixie Fleet, aged 15 and 13.
Kate’s other portrait features Bernstein, originally from Germany, who was hidden in France throughout most of the Holocaust. She is pictured with her granddaughter Chloe Wright, aged 11.
The families chose items of personal significance for inclusion in the photographs.
Frank held a pan that his mother kept with them in the camps and a tomato from his garden to reflect the time he spent in the Theresienstadt Ghetto where he helped another prisoner grow tomatoes.
Meanwhile, Bernstein is pictured holding her German ID card, which is dated March 3 1939 and stamped with the letter J, one of the many ways Jewish people were identified.
On the table is a brooch bought for her by her daughter and made by the jewellery firm founded by her great-grandfather whose factories were seized by the Nazis.
The Duchess of Cambridge has said she took inspiration from Anne Frank‘s “sensitive and intimate” interpretation of the horrors of the Holocaust for the photographs she took of the two survivors for the new exhibition.
1/8 First look at the wedding dress
As the Duchess of Cambridge stepped out of her car at the entrance of Westminster Abbey, the public were given their first full look at the bride’s beautiful wedding dress. The duchess wore a gown created by London-based designer Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen. The dress was made of satin and featured an overlaid lace bodice and appliqued skirt. The bride’s sister, maid of honour Pippa Middleton, also wore a dress by Burton, and made headlines on the day as she carried her sister’s wedding dress train. ‘It’s a bit startling to achieve global recognition before the age of 30, on account of your sister, brother-in-law and your bottom,” Middleton wrote in her 2012 book Celebrate, in reference to the attention her figure received in the media.
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2/8 Eccentric wedding guest attire
In addition to the bride’s wedding gown, one of the most memorable sartorial moments from the 2011 royal wedding was Princess Beatrice’s choice of headwear. The royal’s pale pink headpiece by London-based milliner Philip Treacy received a strong reaction in the media, with some comparing it to a ‘pretzel’. Soon after the wedding, Princess Beatrice auctioned the fascinator off for charity. The headpiece was sold on eBay for more than £81,000, the proceeds of which was donated to charities Unicef and Children in Crisis. Treacy said he feared his head would be ‘on a spike outside the Tower of London’ following the intense reaction to the headpiece. ‘But it was a very modern hat and modernity is always unusual thing,’ he added.
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3/8 A sentimental brotherly exchange
As the Duchess of Cambridge walked down the aisle in Westminster Abbey, eagle-eyed viewers watching the royal wedding on television spotted Prince Harry glance at his sister-in-law-to-be, before whispering something to the groom, Prince William. While it’s unknown what Prince Harry said to his brother, some believe he may have made a joke to help with the groom’s nerves.
Getty Images
4/8 Nervous whispers
As the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge stood next to each other in Westminster Abbey, Prince William was filmed turning to his bride and whispering something to her. It’s widely believed that he said: ‘You look beautiful.’
Getty Images
5/8 A brief moment of panic
For the estimated 26 million people in the UK who watched the royal wedding live on television on 29 April 2011, collective panic momentarily spread across the nation when Prince William appeared to struggle putting the wedding ring on the finger of his bride. Luckily, after a few seconds, the duke managed to slide the ring down his newlywed’s finger much to the relief of onlookers.
AFP/Getty Images
6/8 Sealing their union with a kiss
The moment the public had been waiting for. Following their nuptials in Westminster Abbey, the royal couple travelled to Buckingham Palace, where they stepped out onto the palace’s famous balcony. The duke and duchess then shared their first couple of kisses as a married couple, prompting cheers from the thousands of people below. The moment was reminiscent of the kiss shared between Prince Williams father and mother, Prince Charles and the late Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1981.
Getty Images
7/8 The disgruntled flower girl
While the crowds expressed their delight in the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge kissing on the Buckingham Palace balcony, one individual in particular was not enjoying the occasion. One of the flower girls on the balcony made headlines when she was pictured covering her ears, a disgruntled expression on her face. The child in question was Grace Van Cutsem, Prince William’s goddaughter.
Getty Images
8/8 Newlyweds on the road
Following all the pomp of the royal wedding, the duke and duchess drove away from Buckingham Palace in a vintage car, with Prince William at the wheel. The car was adorned with a number plate which read “JU5T WED”, and had several balloons attached at the back.
Getty Images
1/8 First look at the wedding dress
As the Duchess of Cambridge stepped out of her car at the entrance of Westminster Abbey, the public were given their first full look at the bride’s beautiful wedding dress. The duchess wore a gown created by London-based designer Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen. The dress was made of satin and featured an overlaid lace bodice and appliqued skirt. The bride’s sister, maid of honour Pippa Middleton, also wore a dress by Burton, and made headlines on the day as she carried her sister’s wedding dress train. ‘It’s a bit startling to achieve global recognition before the age of 30, on account of your sister, brother-in-law and your bottom,” Middleton wrote in her 2012 book Celebrate, in reference to the attention her figure received in the media.
Getty Images
2/8 Eccentric wedding guest attire
In addition to the bride’s wedding gown, one of the most memorable sartorial moments from the 2011 royal wedding was Princess Beatrice’s choice of headwear. The royal’s pale pink headpiece by London-based milliner Philip Treacy received a strong reaction in the media, with some comparing it to a ‘pretzel’. Soon after the wedding, Princess Beatrice auctioned the fascinator off for charity. The headpiece was sold on eBay for more than £81,000, the proceeds of which was donated to charities Unicef and Children in Crisis. Treacy said he feared his head would be ‘on a spike outside the Tower of London’ following the intense reaction to the headpiece. ‘But it was a very modern hat and modernity is always unusual thing,’ he added.
Getty Images
3/8 A sentimental brotherly exchange
As the Duchess of Cambridge walked down the aisle in Westminster Abbey, eagle-eyed viewers watching the royal wedding on television spotted Prince Harry glance at his sister-in-law-to-be, before whispering something to the groom, Prince William. While it’s unknown what Prince Harry said to his brother, some believe he may have made a joke to help with the groom’s nerves.
Getty Images
4/8 Nervous whispers
As the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge stood next to each other in Westminster Abbey, Prince William was filmed turning to his bride and whispering something to her. It’s widely believed that he said: ‘You look beautiful.’
Getty Images
5/8 A brief moment of panic
For the estimated 26 million people in the UK who watched the royal wedding live on television on 29 April 2011, collective panic momentarily spread across the nation when Prince William appeared to struggle putting the wedding ring on the finger of his bride. Luckily, after a few seconds, the duke managed to slide the ring down his newlywed’s finger much to the relief of onlookers.
AFP/Getty Images
6/8 Sealing their union with a kiss
The moment the public had been waiting for. Following their nuptials in Westminster Abbey, the royal couple travelled to Buckingham Palace, where they stepped out onto the palace’s famous balcony. The duke and duchess then shared their first couple of kisses as a married couple, prompting cheers from the thousands of people below. The moment was reminiscent of the kiss shared between Prince Williams father and mother, Prince Charles and the late Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1981.
Getty Images
7/8 The disgruntled flower girl
While the crowds expressed their delight in the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge kissing on the Buckingham Palace balcony, one individual in particular was not enjoying the occasion. One of the flower girls on the balcony made headlines when she was pictured covering her ears, a disgruntled expression on her face. The child in question was Grace Van Cutsem, Prince William’s goddaughter.
Getty Images
8/8 Newlyweds on the road
Following all the pomp of the royal wedding, the duke and duchess drove away from Buckingham Palace in a vintage car, with Prince William at the wheel. The car was adorned with a number plate which read “JU5T WED”, and had several balloons attached at the back.
Getty Images
The images were captured at Kensington Palace earlier this month, and because both survivors have strong links to the Netherlands, Kate says she was inspired by 17th century Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer.
The pictures were also taken next to a window facing east, in the direction of Jerusalem.
“The harrowing atrocities of the Holocaust, which were caused by the most unthinkable evil, will forever lay heavy in our hearts,” Kate said.
“Yet it is so often through the most unimaginable adversity that the most remarkable people flourish.
“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. They look back on their experiences with sadness, but also with gratitude that they were some of the lucky few to make it through.”
The duchess added that she wanted the portraits to serve as a “celebration of family” and the lives that survivors have built since.
“It was a true honour to have been asked to participate in this project and I hope in some way Yvonne and Steven’s memories will be kept alive as they pass the baton to the next generation,” Kate said.
On Monday, Kate and Prince William will join high-profile figures and survivors at the UK Holocaust Memorial Day commemorative ceremony in Westminster.
Elsewhere, the Duchess of Cornwall will attend commemorations in Poland to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of former Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz-Birkenau.
