Kate Middleton released a set of portraits she took of the Holocaust survivors and their family to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation in Auschwitz. The photography project took months to get underway and the person behind it cannot believe the kind of commitment the Duchess of Cambridge delivered.
Justin Cohen of Jewish News made arrangements with Kensington Palace six months ago for the photography project. He said that the Duchess of Cambridge had a positive attitude about this whole idea, which was also arranged by her patronage Royal Photographic Society (RPS).
The London-based journalist said that while he was aware this was something that Kate was keen to do, he was not expecting her level of dedication. Cohen said that the duchess personally poured her time in the project by researching and planning what she could bring to the table. The duchess finished art history in college and once described herself as an "amateur photographer."
Cohen also said that the Duchess of Cambridge made sure that her subjects were comfortable about having their portraits taken. In total, she captured 75 photographs of the Holocaust survivors, which will form part of an exhibit happening later in the year.
However, a few of these photographs were teased via the @KensingtonPalace Instagram account. One portrait was of Steven Frank, 84, with his 15 and 13-year-old grandchildren, and the other photo was of Yvonne Bernstein and her granddaughter Chloe.
Behind these portraits are the stories of the survivors. Frank was a survivor of two camps during the Second World War. Bernstein, on the other hand, was a child hiding from the Germans in France during the war. Both became immigrants of Britain in the late 1940s.
In the post, Kate said that she wanted to bring true honor to her subjects. She commended Frank and Bernstein for their courage to start their lives over despite their trauma. She ended her post to say that the stories of the Holocaust survivors will forever stay in her heart.
Some professional photographers were impressed with Kate's work. They posted comments on the Instagram photo and said that the Duchess of Cambridge is truly a talented photographer.
The duchess said that the honor was truly hers for being asked to join in the photography project. Incidentally, Kate and Prince William also commemorated the 75th anniversary by attending the U.K. Holocaust Memorial Day Commemorative Ceremony held at Westminster.
