Eva Schloss, a Holocaust survivor who became the stepsister of diarist Anne Frank and dedicated her life to educating others about the horrors of prejudice, has died at the age of 96.
A Life Devoted to Education and Remembrance
The death of Mrs Schloss was confirmed by her family, who expressed their "great sadness" at the loss of "our dear mother, grandmother and great-grandmother". They remembered her as a remarkable woman: an Auschwitz survivor, a devoted Holocaust educator, tireless in her work for remembrance, understanding and peace.
King Charles III led the tributes, stating he and Queen Camilla were "greatly saddened" by the news. The King, who danced with Mrs Schloss at a Jewish community centre in north London in 2022, said he felt "privileged and proud" to have known her. He praised her for devoting her life to "overcoming hatred and prejudice" after enduring unimaginable horrors as a young woman.
From Persecution to a Global Mission
Born an Austrian Jew, Eva Schloss was a teenager when the Nazis invaded. Her family fled to Amsterdam, where she became friends with a young Anne Frank. As the situation in the Netherlands deteriorated, Eva and her family—mother Fritzi, father Erich, and brother Heinz—were forced into hiding for two years.
They were eventually betrayed by a Nazi sympathiser. On her 15th birthday, the family was arrested, interrogated, and in May 1944 deported to Auschwitz. There, Eva and her mother were separated from her father and brother. She never saw her brother Heinz again, and later learned both he and her father had died.
After liberation, she moved to London, married Zvi Schloss, and a year later, her mother married Anne Frank's father, Otto Frank, making Eva Anne Frank's posthumous stepsister.
A Lasting Legacy Against Prejudice
In 1990, Eva Schloss co-founded the Anne Frank Trust UK, an organisation that uses Anne's story to help young people challenge antisemitism and all forms of prejudice. She served as its honorary president and was made an MBE in 2012 for her services to Holocaust education.
She devoted decades to speaking in schools, prisons, and on international platforms, ensuring the lessons of the past were not forgotten. Her family expressed hope that her legacy would "continue to inspire through the books, films and resources she leaves behind".
In his heartfelt statement, King Charles concluded: "May her memory be a blessing to us all." The family has requested privacy and plans to hold a memorial event at a later date.
