Editorial: A pioneering prince
Following the passing of the Duke of Edinburgh, we reflect on what is arguably an under-appreciated legacy in crucial areas such as Shoah education and interfaith relations
The actions of Prince Philip’s mother in saving Jews during the Shoah are widely known. What’s less known are the actions of the man himself who, while spending a year in school in Germany in 1933, helped a Jewish boy who was being picked on by fellow pupils as Nazism took hold in the country.
It was a story his son Prince Charles spoke about with great pride in welcoming the great and good of British Jewry to a Buckingham Palace reception in late 2019, and one that marked out a man whose true character and contribution too many perhaps only fully appreciated after his death last Friday.
Perhaps the achievement for which the country’s longest serving consort will be remembered will be his creation of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards which has enriched millions of young lives over decades. No one who tuned into the media coverage last weekend would have been left in any doubt that a key driver of the scheme was Jewish refugee Kurt Hahn, HRH’s mentor.
Many even in our own community were not familiar until last week about his pioneering work in the interfaith arena or his long-time support for Jewish causes like JLGB, Nightingale or his opening of Hertsmere Jewish Primary School.
While Prince Charles’ close ties and appreciation of Anglo-Jewry are often reported, it’s clearer than ever today where our next king might have drawn his inspiration. We wish the Queen and the entire Royal Family long life.
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