Just over two years on from assuming the mantle, King Charles‘ reign on the throne has been surrounded by sadness so far. He only inherited the crown after the death of his beloved mother, the late Queen Elizabeth, in 2022, and 2024 has proven to be an incredibly tough year for the Royal family. On top of the king’s own cancer diagnosis, his daughter-in-law Kate Middleton has likewise been through her own cancer battle this year.
Charles isn’t letting his health troubles keep him down, however. In fact, this month he’s even going so far as to pause his cancer treatment in order to take his first big international tour as ruling monarch — visiting Australia and Samoa, both Commonwealth nations. Still, the king can’t quite escape the shadow of sadness as the duty has now fallen on him to respond to the end of an historic life that had been an inspiration for many.
“I heard this morning”: King Charles responds to heartbreaking death
King Charles has responded to the death of Holocaust survivor Lily Ebert, who died on her 100th birthday on Oct. 9.
Born in Hungary, Ebert spent four months at Auschwitz when she was 20 years old. Although she and two of her sisters survived, she lost her mother, brother, and younger sister during the ordeal. Ebert has since earned worldwide recognition and acclaim for sharing her experiences of Auschwitz, in various media appearances, books, and even — most recently — on TikTok.
“It was with the greatest sadness that I heard this morning the news of Lily Ebert’s death,” the king shared in a poignant statement shared with the press.
“As a survivor of the unmentionable horrors of the Holocaust, I am so proud that she later found a home in Britain where she continued to tell the world of the horrendous atrocities she had witnessed, as a permanent reminder for our generation – and, indeed, for future generations – of the depths of depravity and evil to which humankind can fall, when reason, compassion and truth are abandoned.”
The king concluded, “Alongside other Holocaust survivors, she became an integral part of the fabric of our nation; her extraordinary resilience and courage an example to us all, which will never be forgotten.”
In 2023, Ebert was appointed Member of the British Empire (MBE) — a couple of rungs down from a knight or damehood — and it was King Charles himself who gave her the award during a ceremony at Windsor Castle (see above). Ebert is survived by her children, her grandchildren, and her 38 great-grandchildren, which includes social media influencer Dov Forman, who has been inspired by his great-grandmother to campaign for better Holocaust education for younger generations.
Born in 1924, Ebert was two years younger than Charles’ mother, Queen Elizabeth, who would’ve turned 100 in 2026. In the U.K., reaching a full hundred years of age results in a letter from the king or queen themselves. While Ebert tragically did not live through her 100th birthday, she still received a message from King Charles, albeit in the form of a touching personal reaction to her passing.
