Eva Schloss, an Auschwitz survivor and the stepsister of Anne Frank, has died aged 96, prompting a heartfelt tribute from King Charles III, who praised her lifelong work confronting hatred and prejudice through Holocaust education.
In a statement released following confirmation of her death, the King said he and Queen Camilla were 'greatly saddened' and described Schloss as someone they 'admired deeply'.
He recalled the 'impossible to comprehend' horrors she endured as a teenager and said her tireless efforts to promote kindness, courage and understanding would remain a lasting legacy.
King Charles' Tribute and Public Recognition
King Charles said he was 'privileged and proud' to have known Schloss, noting her decades of work educating young people about the Holocaust.
The King met her in 2022 during a visit to a Jewish community centre in north London, where the pair famously danced together. Queen Camilla is patron of the Anne Frank Trust UK, of which Schloss was co-founder and honorary president.
Who Eva Schloss Was Beyond Anne Frank
Born Eva Geiringer in Vienna, Schloss later moved with her family to Amsterdam, where she met Anne Frank as a teenager. The two girls lived near Merwedeplein Square and knew each other before the Nazi occupation tightened its grip on the Netherlands.
According to The Guardian, Schloss later became Anne Frank's stepsister when her mother, Elfriede, married Anne's father, Otto Frank, in 1953, following the war and the loss of much of their families.
Arrest, Deportation and Survival at Auschwitz
As Nazi persecution intensified, Schloss and her family spent two years moving between hiding places in an attempt to evade capture.
They were eventually betrayed by a Nazi sympathiser. On her 15th birthday in 1944, Schloss was arrested with her family, brutally interrogated and deported to Auschwitz in May that year.
She and her mother were separated from her father, Erich, and her brother, Heinz, upon arrival. Schloss survived the camp. Her father and brother did not return.
Loss, Memory and the Hidden Paintings
During the three-day journey to Auschwitz, Heinz told his sister that he and their father had hidden 30 of his paintings beneath the floorboards of their attic.
Those works later became the focus of a 2017 exhibition at the Jewish Museum in London, preserving the artistic legacy of a young life cut short.
Life in Britain and Building a Legacy
After the war, Schloss moved to England, where she lived in London for more than 70 years. She married Zvi Schloss in 1952, and the couple had three daughters.
In later life, she became one of the most recognisable voices in Holocaust education, speaking regularly to schools and community groups across the UK and internationally.
Warning Against Hatred Through Education
Schloss dedicated much of her life to warning younger generations about the dangers of hatred, discrimination and indifference.
Rather than focusing on politics, her work centred on personal testimony and education, urging students to recognise how prejudice can escalate when left unchallenged.
Following her death, the Anne Frank Trust described her as 'a beacon of hope and resilience', saying her commitment to challenging prejudice had left an 'indelible mark' on countless lives.
Family and Community Tributes
In a statement published in the Jewish News, Schloss' family said they were grieving the loss of 'our dear mother, grandmother and great-grandmother'.
They added that they hoped her legacy would continue through the books, films and educational resources she leaves behind, ensuring her warning against hatred endures for future generations.
