Duke pays respects at tomb of great-grandmother who saved Jews during Shoah
Prince William visits resting place of relative who was honoured by the state of Israel as a righteous among the nations for saving people in the Holocaust
The Duke of Cambridge has made a poignant pilgrimage to the final resting place in Jerusalem of his great-grandmother, Princess Alice – famed for saving a Jewish family from the Holocaust.
William visited the tomb of the deeply religious woman, who was formally recognised by the State of Israel for her bravery in harbouring a Jewish mother and some of her children from the Nazis.
The visit came on the last day of the duke’s historic five-day tour of the Middle East, and he also toured religious sites revered by Jews, Christians and Muslims in Jerusalem’s Old City.
At the Western Wall – the holiest site in Judaism as it is the last remnant of Herod’s temple – William, wearing a kippah, or skull cap, as a mark of respect, approached the landmark and followed the centuries-old tradition of placing a written prayer in a crack in the wall.
Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, who joined the duke at the holy site, said: “Today we experienced a moment of history which will live long in the memory of Jews around the world.
“The Western Wall stands at the epicentre of our faith. To see the future monarch come to pay his respects was a remarkable gesture of friendship and a sign of the duke’s regard for the sanctity of Jerusalem.”
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