Prince Charles has emphasised the collective responsibility to bear witness to the Holocaust as the number of survivors dwindle in his message for HMD on Wednesday. 

“As I speak, the last generation of living witnesses is tragically passing from this world,” he said in a video which will be broadcast as part of this year’s digital remembrance service at 7 pm on Wednesday. 

“So the task of bearing witness falls to us. That is why the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust of which I am so proud to be patron has this year chosen the theme, Be the Light in the Darkness. 

“This is not a task for one time only, nor is it a task for one generation or one person. It is for all people, all generations and all time. 

“This is our time when we can each in our own way be the light that ensures the darkness can never return.” 

People across the UK are being asked to light a candle and put it in their window at 8pm  while landmarks such as Wembley Stadium, Cardiff Castle and the London Eye will be bathed in purple. 

Premier League footballers Jordan Henderson and Bruno Fernandes and the adventurer Bear Grylls will be among those contributing to tonight’s national ceremony.  

In its introduction to the theme, the HMD trust cites the Belsen survivor, Gena Turgel, who died in 2018, who said, “We will continue to do our bit for as long as we can, secure in the knowledge that others will continue to light a candle long after us.” 

The TV personality Robert Rinder appears in a short film to promote HMD with Melone M'Kenzy, star of the West End production of the Lion King, which has been released by the National Holocaust Centre & Museum.