Prince William Says He and Kate Middleton Are “Concerned” About Antisemitism

Last week Prince William released a statement expressing his hope for an “end to the fighting” in Gaza and met with British Red Cross employees coordinating aid to the region. On Thursday, he carried out a planned visit to the Western Marble Arch Synagogue in London, where he continued his focus on Israel, Gaza, and the fallout from the October 7 attack.

Though Kate Middleton is still taking time away from royal duties as she recovers from a January abdominal surgery, William mentioned that his wife is also paying attention to news of increased antisemitism. “Antisemitism has no place in our society,” he said to a group of community members. “Both Catherine and I are extremely concerned about the rise of antisemitism.”

During the visit, William met with Karen Pollock, CEO of the Holocaust Educational Trust, who told him about the synagogue’s programming. Afterward, Pollock told People about the significance of William’s visit. “It was a really special engagement,” she said. “Having His Royal Highness visit the synagogue and learn a bit about the community and [look] at the history of the synagogue was lovely. But what was fantastic was how obvious [it was that] he really wanted to understand…how the community feels about antisemitism today.”

The engagement marked William’s first public appearance since he backed out of a planned role in a service of Thanksgiving for his late godfather, King Constantine of Greece, due to a “personal matter” on Tuesday. Later that afternoon, it was announced that Thomas Kingston, the husband of William’s cousin Lady Gabriella Kingston and son-in-law of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, had died.

Though senior royals typically stay out of politics, William’s comments about the situation in Gaza were welcomed by a spokesperson for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who said they reflected government policy. William’s message focused primarily on the human toll of the ongoing conflict.

“I remain deeply concerned about the terrible human cost of the conflict in the Middle East since the Hamas terrorist attack on 7 October. Too many have been killed,” he wrote. “I, like so many others, want to see an end to the fighting as soon as possible. There is a desperate need for increased humanitarian support to Gaza. It’s critical that aid gets in and the hostages are released.”