Holocaust Survivor Eva Schloss Passes Away at Age 96 as King Charles Pays Respects

The King has offered condolences to the step-sister of Anne Frank and survivor of the Holocaust Eva Schloss, who passed away at the age of 96.

He added, "The atrocities that she experienced as a young woman are impossible to comprehend and yet she dedicated the rest of her life to overcoming hatred and prejudice, fostering kindness, courage, understanding and resilience."

A Life Dedicated to Education

Mrs Schloss was the founding member and honorary head of the Anne Frank Trust, an organization where the Queen Consort serves as Patron.

In the 1940s, Mrs Schloss and her family were chased from their home in Austria. They lived as refugees in the Netherlands before being captured and deported to the notorious Auschwitz concentration camp.

The Anne Frank Trust said Mrs Schloss passed away in London on 3 January. "In her youth, Eva Schloss-Geiringer lived in Amsterdam, opposite Anne Frank's home," the trust noted.

Survival and Loss

By the time Mrs Schloss and her mother were liberated by the Soviet army in January 1945, they were barely alive. Her brother and father both died in captivity.

After being repatriated to Amsterdam, her mother Elfriede—called Fritzi—married Otto Frank, the father of Anne Frank, who had also managed to survive imprisonment by the Nazis.

An Enduring Legacy

Over the past 40 years, Mrs Schloss devoted her efforts to trying to prevent history from repeating itself.

• As co-founder of the Anne Frank Trust UK, she preserved Anne Frank's memory and informed people about the Holocaust.
• Frank's internationally famous diary—a personal testimony of life for Jewish people under Nazi occupation—has sold more than 30 million copies.
• Mrs Schloss often journeyed across Europe, addressing the youth in particular and spreading a message not to hate.

"I have worked very, very hard to change people's attitudes," Mrs Schloss once said. "Each person you convince not to be racist is a positive."

Subsequent Years

In 1951, Mrs Schloss relocated to London to study photography. There she met her husband, Zvi Schloss, a German Jew who had escaped to Palestine during the war.

The couple settled in London and became UK citizens. Mr Schloss died in London in 2016. They are survived by their daughters, sons-in-law and grandchildren.