Prince Charles did not forget to visit the tomb of his grandmother, Princess Alice of Greece, when he was in Jerusalem on Friday. The Prince of Wales paid homage to his father's mom and remembered Princess Alice for her selfless heroism.
According to reports, Prince Charles went to the Russian Orthodox Church of St. Mary Magdalene where his grandmother was interred. He laid flowers on her tomb and stood in a few minutes of silence to honor her.
BBC reported that the Prince of Wales also replaced the Greek royal standard on his grandmother's tomb. He had this especially made from London as the original was worn out.
A day before, the Prince of Wales paid honor to his grandmother while he was speaking before an audience in the World Holocaust Forum. He said that he would always draw inspiration from Princess Alice's selfless actions as she saved many Jewish families who were hiding from the Nazis during the Second World War.
During that time, Prince Philip's mother served as a nun after suffering from a nervous breakdown as a result of their family's exile from Greece. She also worked in the Swedish and Swiss Red Cross and then later founded the Christian Sisterhood of Mary and Martha, where she took in Jewish families.
Princess Alice died in 1969 in Buckingham Palace, where she was taken in by Queen Elizabeth in her old age. Later, however, Princess Alice was interred in Jerusalem as it was one of her wishes before her death.
She said she wanted to be buried beside her aunt, Elizabeth, the Grand Duchess of Russia, who was later canonized as a saint in the Russian Orthodox church. Her tomb is in a small chapel next to her aunt.
In June 2018, Prince William also visited Princess Alice's tomb. In 1994, Prince Philip visited her mother's grave, and he also planted a tree at the Holy Land in her honor.
Meanwhile, postmortem, Princess Alice received the Yad Vashem in 1993, which is the highest honor given to non-Jews. She was recognized for her efforts to hide a family of Jews from the German forces.
In speaking of the Holocaust and his grandmother's experience, Prince Charles told world leaders at the forum that this human catastrophe and evil force must never be allowed ever to happen again. The heir to the throne said that vigilance must prevail against threats to humanity.
