Eva Schloss, a Holocaust survivor and the stepmother of Anne Frank, has died at the age of 96.
A tribute from her family says Schloss' legacy will continue to inspire through books, films and resources left by the Auschwitz survivor.
"We are incredibly proud of what Eva represented and achieved, but now we mourn."
Tributes for Schloss poured in, including from Britain's King Charles III, who said he had the personal honor of knowing her and added that he and Queen Camilla held her in the deepest respect.
Born in Austria, Schloss was the honorary president of the Anne Frank Trust UK. She dedicated her life to educating people about the dangers of intolerance and prejudice.
"We must never forget the terrible consequences of treating people as 'the other'," she said in 2024.
The chief executive of the Anne Frank Trust, Dan Green, called her "a beacon of hope and resilience."
"Her unwavering commitment to challenging the Holocaust against prejudice leaves an indelible mark on countless lives," he said.
"We at the Anne Frank Trust are profoundly mourning her loss and wishing condolences to her family and friends during this difficult time," Green said.
What was Eva Schloss' survival story?
Schloss was a teenager when the Nazis occupied her native Austria, leading to her family's flight to the Netherlands. There, she met Anne Frank, whose family had fled from Frankfurt to Amsterdam in search of refuge.
As the situation in the Dutch city deteriorated, Schloss' family began moving houses to reduce their chances of being caught by the Nazis, until they were betrayed by a Nazi sympathizer.
Fifteen-year-old Eva Schloss was sent to Auschwitz with her mother, Fritz, father, Erich, and brother, Heinz.
Erich and Heinz did not survive, but Eva and Fritz did.
They reunited after the war, and Fritz married Otto Frank, Anne's father.
Although she survived, the Holocaust left both physical and mental scars on Schloss, causing her to struggle with connecting with people for years, as well as suffering nightmares.
Physically, Schloss suffered from digestive problems due to starvation conditions at Auschwitz, as well as frostbite during her long journey to freedom in the winter of 1945 after the war's end.
Edited by: Kiran Burke
