Duchess of Cambridge officially opens new Holocaust exhibit at Imperial War Museum

The Duchess of Cambridge has been reunited with Holocaust survivors Yvonne Bernstein and Steven Frank at an exhibition of photographs of survivors and refugees – including two she took of the pair as part of a Jewish News project.

The future Queen chatted with the survivors at the Imperial War Museum, nearly two years after she photographed them to kick off an initiative to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

Since then, a dozen leading photographers around the country have captured images of some of Britain’s last survivors, often alongside their children and grandchildren, for the exhibit.

The exhibition – designed to celebrate those who built new lives in the UK – was brought to life by a partnership between this newspaper, The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, Royal Photographic Society, Dangoor Education and IWM, where it will remain until January when it will go on a national tour.

Among those Kate met was Yvonne and Steven, who she had previously described as two of the most “life-affirming people she’s ever met”. While Covid precautions meant she kept a one metre distance from most, she couldn’t help but hug a thrilled Steven. The 86-year-old survivor of several camps, who was photographed with his granddaughters Maggie and Trixie by the Duchess in the style of Vermeer, told Jewish News: “I’ve never been hugged by a future Queen before. She was so warm and, like two years ago, wanted to hear my story.”

Trixie, 15, added: “My grandpa tells his story in local schools but the Duchess being here means more people will know what happened. She was so cool.”

For a beaming Yvonne, who had been a hidden child in France and was accompanied by granddaughter Chloe, the reunion was the very first time she’d been out beside for basic food shopping since the start of the pandemic. She too received a kiss and a hug – before joking that the pandemic must have deprived her of the second royal kiss she received two years ago.

Olivia Marks-Woldman, CEO of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, said: “To come together across the generations to celebrate this wonderful project felt so special, particularly knowing the Maggie, Trixie and Chloe will be witnesses long after we’ve no longer here.”

They were introduced to Kate alongside Jewish News’ Justin Cohen, who conceived the project, and Michael Dangoor, of exhibition sponsors Dangoor Education. He said: “It’s so wonderful how the Duchess is so hands on. She’s a credit to the Royal Family.”

She was guided by IWM director Diane Lees. Officially opening the landmark Second World War and Holocaust Galleries, she was shown exhibits including a V1 rocket and a box from the secret Oneg Shabbat archive of the Warsaw Ghetto.

Saying she was honoured to host HRH, Lees said: “Formally opening these Galleries, which are dedicated to improving understanding of two of the most devastating conflicts and genocides in human history, a day before the world stands together to remember those who have fallen in war, is incredibly poignant for us. Given that this period will sadly soon pass out of living memory, we want these Galleries to preserve the stories of our veterans, our eyewitnesses and our survivors, and ensure that we never forget what they experienced.”