Kate Middleton Photographs Holocaust Survivors for a Moving Exhibition
The Duchess of Cambridge is one of the most photographed women in the world. But she is also known for her skills behind the camera, and this weekend, Kensington Palace is participating in Holocaust Memorial Day by releasing two portraits Kate took of survivors with their grandchildren.
The first picture features Steven Frank alongside his granddaughters, Maggie and Trixie Fleet. The other image is of 82-year-old Yvonne Bernstein with her granddaughter Chloe Wright.
See the photos below. (Swipe through to see the second image.)
A post shared by Kensington Palace (@kensingtonroyal) on Jan 26, 2020 at 2:05pm PST
In a statement released in tandem with the pictures, Kate described Frank and Bernstein as “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," she said. "Their stories will stay with me forever."
Kate also stressed the importance of preserving the history of the Holocaust.
“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,’’ she said. “It is vital that their memories are preserved and passed on to future generations, so that what they went through will never be forgotten.’’
The portraits were taken at Kensington Palace, and will be included in an upcoming exhibition by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, Jewish News, and the Royal Photographic Society to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
As Bernstein and Frank both had ties to the Netherlands, Kate reportedly looked to the work of the Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer for inspiration in her work. She also asked the families to bring items of "personal significance" to be included in the photos.
"I wanted to make the portraits deeply personal to Yvonne and Steven – a celebration of family and the life that they have built since they both arrived in Britain in the 1940s. The families brought items of personal significance with them which are included in the photographs." Kate said.
"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."
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