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King Charles Shared a Special Letter in Honor of Holocaust Memorial Day

It's not every day that King Charles III posts a personal letter to Instagram, but today is not just any regular day.

January 27 is International Holocaust Remembrance Day, a memorial day observed around the world that honors the victims of the Holocaust. On this day, His Royal Majesty shared a rare message, where he said, “I would like to offer a heartfelt welcome to the 2023 Holocaust Memorial Day National Commemoration. This annual commemoration is a truly profound occasion in which the United Kingdom comes together to remember those who were murdered, to honour those who survived, and to resolve to work to ensure that the horrors of the past never happen again.”

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Royal Family/Instagram

The king then went on to highlight the 2023 theme for the memorial day, which is “Ordinary People.” “[This theme] reminds us how it was ordinary people who were the perpetrators, bystanders, rescuers, and witnesses to the Holocaust, and its victims,” the monarch wrote. “Ultimately, we are all ordinary people, each of us with a role to play and a responsibility to use our gifts for the benefit—not destruction—of our world and humankind. Over many years, I have been deeply touched to have met so many Holocaust survivors, all of them extraordinary people who faced unimaginable horror.”

To commemorate the day, the king and Queen Consort Camilla invited Holocaust survivor, Dr. Martin Stern, and Darfur genocide survivor, Amouna Adam, to Buckingham Palace for a small ceremony, where they lit candles to remember the victims of genocide.

“As the country gathers to mark Holocaust Memorial Day 2023, we should all renew our commitment to work for a world free from identity-based persecution and violence,” King Charles wrote. “Prejudice is always seeking out new victims to demonize, to denounce and, ultimately, to destroy. We must make sure that it never succeeds. There is no stronger antidote to division than an appreciation of diversity. That is why I am so proud to see the rich diversity of the United Kingdom displayed in the range of groups taking part in Holocaust Memorial Day.”

The monarch then closed his message by asking that we all recommit to “the vital principles of freedom of conscience, generosity of spirit, and care for others that are the surest defenses of hope.”

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Royal Family/Instagram

Always well said, King Charles.

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Associate Editor, News and Entertainment

Joel is the Associate Editor for News & Entertainment and has been reporting on all things pop culture for over 5 years. Before working at PureWow, he served as a Features...