King Charles and Queen Camilla Share New Photo to Mark Holocaust Memorial Day as He's Admitted for Surgery
The King and Queen lit candles at Sandringham earlier this week ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day
As King Charles headed into the hospital for prostate surgery, he and Queen Camilla shared a special photo to mark Holocaust Memorial Day.
On Friday, the British royal family's social media pages posted a new image of the King, 75, and Queen, 76, lighting candles at Sandringham House earlier this week to mark Holocaust Memorial Day on Saturday.
“Holocaust Memorial Day offers a valuable opportunity for the richly diverse communities of this nation to come together and recommit to building a society free from antisemitism, persecution and hatred,” the Instagram caption read. “🕯️The King has sent a message to all those marking Holocaust Memorial Day tomorrow.”
Holocaust Memorial Day commemorates the lives of the six million Jewish people murdered during the Holocaust, alongside the millions of others killed under Nazi persecution and during subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur. Jan. 27 is the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp, in 1945.
Related: King Charles Visits Kate Middleton as He’s Admitted to Same Hospital for Surgery
The royals also shared an announcement from The Anne Frank Trust U.K. revealing that Queen Camilla has become the organization’s first official royal patron. The charity uses Anne Frank’s life and diary to educate and empower young people to challenge prejudice and discrimination, and Camilla was the guest of honor at the trust’s annual lunch in 2022.
“Let us…learn from those who bore witness to the horrors of the Holocaust, and all subsequent genocides, and commit ourselves to keeping their stories alive, so that each generation will be ready to tackle hatred in any of its terrible forms,” she said in a speech at the lunch. “And let us carry with us the words and wisdom Anne Frank (a child of only 14 years old) wrote on 7th May 1944: “What is done cannot be undone, but at least one can prevent it from happening again.’ ”
King Charles and Queen Camilla marked Holocaust Remembrance Day last year by speaking with survivors of genocide at Buckingham Palace and lighting candles.
On Friday, Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles was admitted to the hospital for the planned prostate procedure.
“The King was this morning admitted to a London hospital for scheduled treatment,” said the Friday statement. “His Majesty would like to thank all those who have sent their good wishes over the past week and is delighted to learn that his diagnosis is having a positive impact on public health awareness.”
As monarch, the status of King Charles' health is significant, and it was understood he wanted to share his diagnosis to encourage men who may be experiencing symptoms to get checked. His decision has already made an impact, as the National Health Service said his announcement prompted a 1,000% surge in searches about prostate enlargement on its website.
King Charles and Queen Camilla were photographing arriving at the London Clinic, the same hospital where Kate Middleton had abdominal surgery on Jan. 16. PEOPLE understands that the King visited his daughter-in-law the Princess of Wales, 42, before his own surgery.
Related: King Charles Admitted to London Hospital for Surgery on Enlarged Prostate
On Jan. 17, the palace shared that the sovereign was seeking treatment for an enlarged prostate and would have the “corrective procedure." Buckingham Palace said King Charles’ condition was “benign” and that his public engagements would be postponed for a “short period of recuperation.”
A royal source tells PEOPLE that King Charles will be capable of fulfilling his constitutional requirements and duties during this time, meaning that Prince William is not expected to act as regent.
The Buckingham Palace announcement that King Chares was seeking treatment for an enlarged prostate came less than two hours after Kensington Palace shared that Princess Kate had “planned abdominal surgery” the day prior and that it had been a success.
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While Princess Kate's health news was only revealed after her surgery took place, King Charles' announcement came ahead of his planned procedure. The King disclosed his diagnosis, while the Princess of Wales has kept her private. Kensington Palace said that Princess Kate would have a 10 to 14-day hospital stay and anticipated a three-month recovery at home, and the statement said Kate desired to “maintain as much normality for her children as possible” during this time.
“It was sensible [for the King] to be more open about it, as otherwise, people might have thought the worst,” a palace insider tells PEOPLE exclusively in this week’s issue.
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