Prince William has returned to royal duties today where he issued a personal message from him and his wife Kate, who is currently recovering from abdominal surgery.
Visiting the Western Marble Arch Synagogue in central London, the heir to the throne said: “Anti-Semitism has no place in society. Prejudice has no place in society. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I want you all to know you can talk about it and your experiences.
“Both Catherine and I are extremely concerned about the rise in anti-Semitism that you guys have talked about this morning and I’m just so sorry if any of you have had to experience that. That’s why I’m here today to reassure you all that people do care and people do listen and we can’t let that go.”
He visited the synagogue to join in a conversation with young Ambassadors of the Holocaust Educational Trust who are advocates against hatred and anti-Semitism.
Cases of anti-Semitic abuse and attacks are on the rise in the UK, with the Prince reaching out to communities to learn how they are tackling this problem and encouraging teaching and cohesion.
His visit comes after the Prince of Wales pulled out of a memorial service on Tuesday at the last minute due to “personal reasons”. Aides were quick to stress that it was unrelated to his wife Princess Kate’s ongoing recovery from abdominal surgery, as Kensington Palace released a statement saying she was continuing to do well.
Upon his arrival at the synagogue William met with members of the local Jewish community and Holocaust survivors who spoke to him about their experiences.
At the end of his visit the future King met with a group of young ambassadors from all backgrounds who have taken part in the Holocaust Educational Trust’s flagship ‘Lessons from Auschwitz’ programme.
The aim of the programme is to teach young people about the horrors of the Holocaust through organising trips to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in Poland, with participants then committing to talk about what they have learned and become advocates against hatred and discrimination.
This visit comes the week after William’s statement calling for peace in Gaza was released, while he was visiting the headquarters of the British Red Cross.
Some criticised the Prince for being too political, as he said: “I remain deeply concerned about the terrible human cost of the conflict in the Middle East since the Hamas terrorist attack on 7 October. Too many have been killed. I, like so many others, want to see an end to the fighting as soon as possible.
“There is a desperate need for increased humanitarian support to Gaza. It’s critical that aid gets in and the hostages are released. Sometimes it is only when faced with the sheer scale of human suffering that the importance of permanent peace is brought home.
“Even in the darkest hour, we must not succumb to the counsel of despair. I continue to cling to the hope that a brighter future can be found and I refuse to give up on that.”