Prince Charles visits grandmother's grave while in Jerusalem
The Royal family has historically refrained from visiting the site due to its location in the eastern part of Jerusalem, to remain neutral in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
By JPOST.COM STAFFUpdated: OCTOBER 3, 2016 22:26Prince Charles at Shimon Peres' funeral. (photo credit: REUTERS)
Charles, Prince of Wales, secretly visited his grandmother's grave while in Jerusalem for former president Shimon Peres' funeral.Prince Charles' grandmother, Princess Alice of Battenburg, was buried at the Convent of Saint Mary Magdalene on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem per her request.Her remains were transferred to a crypt below the church in August of 1988.(The Church of Saint Mary Magdalene. Credit: Marc Israel Sellem)The visit was made in secrecy and went unreported until a number of photos surfaced on social media accounts of people working with the church. The visit was reported first by Haaretz.
The Royal family has historically refrained from visiting the site due to its location in the eastern part of Jerusalem, to remain neutral in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.The prince’s father, Prince Philip, came to Israel in 1994 to visit the grave. Princess Alice, who gave shelter to Jews in Nazi-occupied Athens, was recognized by Yad Vashem as Righteous among the Nations.