King Charles Makes Surprise Visit to Golders Green After Antisemitic Attacks | WATCH
Buckingham Palace sends a powerful message as the King meets victims of the April 29 stabbings, honoring a family legacy of Jewish protection that dates back to the Holocaust.
King Charles III made a surprise visit to Golders Green in north London today, meeting victims of a recent antisemitic stabbing attack and community leaders as concerns grow over a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents across the UK.
The King visited a Jewish Care charity centre, where he spoke with residents and staff. He also met the two victims of the April 29 terror attack in which a 45-year-old man stabbed two Jewish men, Shloime Rand, 34, and 76-year-old Moshe Ben Baila. First responders from Hatzolah and Shomrim, who helped apprehend the suspect, were also present.
Buckingham Palace described the visit as a personal gesture of support for the Jewish community, which has faced a significant surge in antisemitic attacks, harassment, and threats in recent months.
A Family Legacy of Courage
The visit carries particular resonance given the King’s family history. His great-grandmother, Princess Alice of Battenberg (Prince Philip’s mother), was honoured by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations for sheltering a Jewish family in her Athens home during the Nazi occupation of Greece in World War II.
Many in the community noted that the monarch is following in his grandmother’s footsteps at a time when public solidarity with British Jews has sometimes appeared lacking from political leaders.
The UK has recorded record levels of antisemitic incidents since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel and the ensuing conflict. Recent events in London, including arson attacks on Jewish sites and the Golders Green stabbings, have heightened fears within the country’s approximately 290,000-strong Jewish community.
Community security groups such as the Community Security Trust (CST) and Shomrim have reported increased patrols and calls for stronger government action.
A spokesman for the King said His Majesty remains “deeply concerned” by the rise in hatred and is committed to supporting efforts to combat antisemitism and promote community cohesion.
The visit was warmly received on the ground, with crowds gathering to greet the monarch as he walked parts of the area. Shomrim described the meeting as an honour and praised the King for recognising their volunteer work protecting the community.
This is the latest in a series of engagements by the King highlighting interfaith relations and Holocaust remembrance. Earlier this year, he hosted Holocaust survivors at Buckingham Palace.