Prince William visits great-grandmother's tomb
On Sunday, the Duke of Cambridge, Prince William, began his five-day visit to Israel, the Palestinian territories, and Jordan. Thursday was his last day of touring and he visited Jerusalem.
There he took the time to visit his great-grandmother, Princess Alice of Battenberg’s tomb. BBC reported that the Prince laid flowers at her tomb.
Since arriving for his tour, Prince William has met Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and its President Reuven Rivlin. He’s also met with the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
On Thursday, William made the time to go to Jerusalem to visit his great-grandmother, Princess Alice’s tomb at the Church of Mary Magdalene. There William took bread and salt at the entrance of the church before laying flowers on her tomb.
Prince William is expected to visit his great-grandmother's grave in Jerusalem.
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) June 28, 2018
She was Princess Alice of Greece, who helped save Jews during World War II https://t.co/PRW6kiDVzg pic.twitter.com/nJjmHRqe9J
For more on this story go to our Twitter account @amomama_usa. The flowers were picked from the garden of Philip Hall, Britain's Consul General in Jerusalem.
The head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem, Archimandrite Roman, recited a "prayer for the repose of Princess Alice's soul" and the Duke bowed his head with his eyes closed.
"He was certainly moved to learn more about his family history and pay his respects to his great-grandmother in such a holy place."
Archimandrite Roman, BBC, June 28, 2018
After the visit, Roman said, "He said he found it profoundly moving.” The Prince initially began his morning on the Mount of Olives viewing Jerusalem's Old City.
During his trip, he also visited the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif, a site that is sacred to Jews and Muslims. He then went to the adjacent Western Wall which is the holiest site where Jews are permitted to pray.
Prince William has visited the tomb of his great-grandmother on a tour of holy sites in #Jerusalem
— Sky News (@SkyNews) June 28, 2018
For more on his visit, head here: https://t.co/qTw9Src0yo pic.twitter.com/u7hnnwBrzf
At the wall, he was seen wearing a yarmulke as he took a moment of contemplation. He also placed a written prayer into one of the cracks in the wall.
Prince William's tour ended at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre which is widely regarded as Christianity's holiest place. Many Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected on the site.
Princess Alice was married to Prince Andrew of Greece. Alice was the mother of William's grandfather Prince Philip.
She briefly lived at Buckingham Palace before her death in 1969.
My wife Sara and I, together with Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, met with descendants of Haimaki and Rachel Cohen, who were saved during the Holocaust by Princess Alice, Prince William's great-grandmother. Haimaki Cohen was a Jew and former member of the Greek parliament. pic.twitter.com/m9yNvCl0sr
— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) June 26, 2018
The Princess is remembered for saving the life of a Jewish family in Athens during the Holocaust by sheltering them in her home from the Nazis. She was a nun for many years and was first laid to rest at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, in 1969.
At her request, she was interred, in 1988, at the Russian Orthodox Church on the Mount of Olives, near her aunt Elizabeth, the Grand Duchess of Russia.
