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.
