Queen Becomes First Royal Patron of Anne Frank Trust UK

The Queen, in a historic move, has taken on the role of the first royal patron of the Anne Frank Trust UK. This announcement came on the eve of Holocaust Memorial Day, marking the importance of remembrance and anti-prejudice education.

The Anne Frank Trust UK is an education charity founded in 1991 by friends of Otto Frank, Anne Frank’s father. It works extensively with young people, aiming to challenge all forms of prejudice by drawing inspiration from Anne Frank’s life and writings. Forced into hiding during World War Two, Anne Frank penned a powerful diary while living in Amsterdam. Tragically, she and her family were captured by the Nazis in 1944, and Anne died in the Bergen Belsen concentration camp in early 1945.

In 2022, as Duchess of Cornwall, Queen Camilla attended a significant event commemorating the 75th anniversary of the publication of Anne Frank’s diary and remembering the victims of the Holocaust. During her speech, Her Majesty expressed the need to keep the stories of those who witnessed the horrors alive and quoted Anne Frank, stating, ‘What is done cannot be undone, but at least one can prevent it from happening again.’

The patronage by Queen Elizabeth II emphasizes the profound importance of Holocaust remembrance and anti-prejudice education. Nicola Cobbold, the chair of the Anne Frank Trust UK, acknowledged this honor and its impact on the organization’s mission.

Tim Robertson, the Chief Executive of the Trust, expressed gratitude for The Queen’s support, highlighting the significance of Anne Frank’s life and the continuing need to engage young people in learning the crucial lessons of the Holocaust. The Trust’s work primarily focuses on challenging prejudice among young people aged between 9 and 15 and has already reached 119,000 pupils in over 800 schools across the UK in 2023.