Auschwitz Survivor Eva Schloss Dies at Age 96 as The Monarch Leads Tributes

King Charles has led tributes to the step-sister of Anne Frank and survivor of the Holocaust Eva Schloss, who has died at the age of 96.

He continued, "The atrocities that she experienced as a young woman are difficult to fathom and yet she dedicated the remainder of her life to fighting hatred and prejudice, promoting kindness, courage, understanding and resilience."

A Life Dedicated to Awareness

Mrs Schloss was the co-founder and honorary head of the Anne Frank Trust, an organization where the Queen Consort serves as Royal Patron.

In the Second World War era, Mrs Schloss and her family were chased from their home in Austria. They lived as refugees in the Netherlands before being apprehended and deported to the infamous Auschwitz concentration camp.

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

Endurance and Loss

When Mrs Schloss and her mother were liberated by the Red Army in January 1945, they were barely alive. Her brother and father 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 managed to survive internment by the Nazis.

An Enduring Legacy

Over the past four decades, Mrs Schloss devoted her efforts to trying to prevent history from happening again.

• As co-founder of the Anne Frank Trust UK, she safeguarded Anne Frank's memory and informed people about the Holocaust.
• Frank's widely-read diary—a first-hand account of life for Jewish people under Nazi occupation—has sold more than 30 million copies.
• Mrs Schloss often journeyed across Europe, addressing young people in particular and promoting a message not to hate.

"I have worked very, very hard to alter people's attitudes," Mrs Schloss remarked in an interview. "Each person you persuade not to be racist is a positive."

Later Life

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

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