Auschwitz Camp Survivor Eva Schloss Dies 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 horrors that she endured as a young woman are difficult to fathom and yet she devoted the remainder of her life to overcoming hatred and prejudice, promoting kindness, courage, understanding and resilience."

A Life Committed to Awareness

Mrs Schloss was the founding member and honorary president 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 existed as displaced persons in the Netherlands before being apprehended and deported to the notorious Auschwitz concentration camp.

The Anne Frank Trust announced Mrs Schloss died in London on 3 January. "As a girl, Eva Schloss-Geiringer resided in Amsterdam, near Anne Frank's home," the trust noted.

Endurance and Tragedy

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

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

An Enduring Legacy

Over the past 40 years, Mrs Schloss dedicated her life to trying to prevent history from happening again.

• As co-founder of the Anne Frank Trust UK, she preserved Anne Frank's memory and educated people about the Holocaust.
• Frank's widely-read diary—a personal testimony of life for Jewish people under Nazi occupation—has sold over 30 million copies.
• Mrs Schloss often journeyed across Europe, addressing the youth in particular and promoting a message of tolerance.

"I worked very, very hard to change people's attitudes," Mrs Schloss once said. "Every individual you convince not to be racist is a step forward."

Later Life

In 1951, Mrs Schloss moved 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 made London their home and became UK citizens. Mr Schloss died in London in 2016. They are remembered by their daughters, sons-in-law and grandchildren.