Prince William and Kate's moving message after death of man who 'will be truly missed'

Prince William and Kate Middleton have shared a moving personal message following the death of a Holocaust survivor who they say it was their "honour" to have met.

Zigi Shipper passed away at the age of 93, and on his birthday.

Born in Poland and forced to work in a metal factory inside the Lodz Ghetto, Zigi was transferred to Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1944.

He was then transferred to the Stutthof concentration camp in 1945 and was on a death march when the camp was liberated by British forces.

Zigi went on to speak about the Holocaust at a number of events, and met the Duke and Duchess during their visit to Stutthof in 2017.

The Royal couple tweeted about their sadness at hearing the news of Zigi's death.

Born in Poland and forced to work in a metal factory inside the Lodz Ghetto, Zigi was transferred to Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1944 (SKY)

They wrote: "In 2017, we had the honour to meet Holocaust survivor, Zigi Shipper on our visit to Stutthof.

"We were sad to learn earlier today of his passing. He will be truly missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends. W&C."

During their 2017 visit to Poland, the pair spent an hour inside the camp, where 65,000 people were killed during the Nazi occupation.

During their 2017 visit to Poland, the pair spent an hour inside the camp, where 65,000 people were killed during the Nazi occupation (DAILY MIRROR)

They listened to the stories of survivors, including Zigi and Manfred Goldberg, who during the meeting returned to the camp since their liberation.

Speaking about the Holocaust in 2020, Zigi said: "Today telling people what happened in Auschwitz and the other camps is more important than ever.

“We must never give up. There are now so few of us left, so we must talk, talk, talk, for as long as we can.

Zigi (seated), with another concentration camp survivor pictured in Germany in British uniforms as they had no clothes (Philip Coburn)

The Duchess of Cambridge with survivor Manfred Goldberg and the Duke of Cambridge with survivor Zigi Shipper during their visit to the former Nazi concentration camp at Stutthof (PA)

“My message is always the same. I always say to people I meet, ‘Why do you hate? Why does anyone hate?’ Hate is the worst thing that can happen to you.

“It is terrible that there is still racism today. I cannot believe it is still happening. People say a certain group of people is not good, but to me everybody is the same.

“Should you hate someone because they have a different skin colour to you? No! If you cut yourself it’s the same colour of blood as anyone else.

“That is why I have never given up speaking to children and adults across Britain.”