The Prince of Wales shared a touching family story as a tribute during a Holocaust Memorial Day service in London marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

Prince William assured survivors that their experiences will ‘never be forgotten’ and told a story about his great-grandmother, Princess Alice of Battenberg, who sheltered a Jewish widow and some of her children in Nazi-occupied Athens, protecting them from deportation to the death camps.

Princess Kate joined William to light candles and pay tribute to those who died.

The story of Princess Alice is widely known in World War II historical circles and has been documented in many books. She was also honored with the distinction “Righteous Among the Nations” at the Yad Vashem in Israel, which documents stories of non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust.