The Duke and Duchess of
Cambridge met hundreds of people on Wednesday, as they stood in for the
Queen at this week’s Buckingham Palace Garden Party. But there was one
attendee, in particular, that got Kate all excited – Manfred Goldberg.
The mother-of-three has met
Holocaust survivor Manfred, 92, twice in the past, most recently in January
2021 over a video call to mark Holocaust Memorial Day.
The Duchess first met Manfred
during a visit to Stutthof concentration camp near Gdansk during her tour of
Poland with Prince William in 2017.
Spotting him in the crowd,
alongside his wife of 61 years, Shary, delighted Kate walked towards them.
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Kate speaking with Manfred and his wife Shary
“Manfred,” Kate
said, “It’s so lovely to see you again. How are you?” The two shook
hands, whilst Manfred replied: “It’s my pleasure and privilege to see you
again.” “When I saw your name on the guestlist I thought ‘yes!’ I am
so happy to see you! Are you keeping well?” asked the Duchess, whilst
holding an umbrella that kept her dry from the rain.
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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were in great spirits despite the rain
Afterward, Manfred, who has
four children and 12 grandchildren, said of his reunion with the Duchess:
“These are some of the perks granted to us as a consequence!” His
wife Shary, added: “She is so sweet.”
Mr. Goldberg continued:
“It is such an honour to be here. Undreamt of when I arrived here as a
16-year-old. She admires the work I have been doing for many years now. I have
come to the firm conclusion that hearing testimony from a survivor is one of
the most effective ways of educating people into understanding that silence is
all that’s needed for evil to triumph.
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The royal couple were accompanied by the Earl and Countess of Wessex and Princess Beatrice |
“I have a PowerPoint
which I use in talks and the most effective image is an enormous pile of shoes.
This photograph was taken by a Russian soldier after liberation and I ask
people to visualize that each pair of shoes belongs to one person that had gone
to the gas chamber. People agree that is one of the most effective ways of
trying to understand the magnitude of evil we are talking about.”
