Holocaust survivor and Anne Frank’s stepsister Eva Schloss dies at 96
In January 2026, society learned of the passing of Eva Schloss, a person who spent her life working to make the world a better place after surviving the holocaust during World War II. A celebrated person who earned the admiration of many people, Schloss had such a big impact that Britain’s King Charles III paid tribute to her following her passing.
On top of her own work, Schloss was also known for her connection to Anne Frank. After knowing each other in childhood, Schloss and Frank became stepsisters and their lives remained linked for decades after the war that changed the world.
Eva Schloss, Auschwitz Survivor and Anne Frank’s Stepsister, Dies at 96
On January 5th, 2026, The Associated Press updated its article on the passing of the holocaust survivor Eva Schloss. That article reveals that Schloss passed away at 96 years old in London, England, on Saturday, January 3rd, 2026. The news of her passing was announced by The Anne Frank Trust UK, an entity Schloss served as the honorary President of. On January 4th, 2026, Britain’s King Charles III released a statement on Schloss' passing on The Royal Family's X account.
A message from The King following the death of Auschwitz survivor, Eva Schloss.
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) January 4, 2026
Eva was Anne Frank’s step-sister, and co-Founder and Honorary President of the @AnneFrankTrust, of which The Queen is Patron. The Trust works to empower young people to challenge prejudice. pic.twitter.com/8HEC8lrtYp
The Anne Frank House UK's website has published an article detailing the amazing life that Schloss led. Born as Eva Geiringer in Vienna on May 11th, 1929, Schloss's life mirrored Anne Frank as she went into hiding during World War II with her family. After living underground for two years, Schloss' family was betrayed and captured on her 15th birthday, which resulted in her being sent to Auschwitz. While her father and brother died, Schloss and her mother survived. Later, Schloss's mother married Anne Frank's father, Otto Frank, making them stepsisters even though one of them had died by then.
After surviving World War II and Auschwitz, Schloss remained silent for 40 years. The Anne Frank House UK's website quoted Schloss explaining why she then chose to speak out in 1988. "I talked about this for the first time in 1988, when the exhibition dedicated to Anne Frank came to London. I was far from politics, but I realised that the world had not learned any lessons from the events of 1939 to 1945, that wars continued, that persecution, racism, intolerance still existed. And then I began to share my experience, to call for changes in the world."
In the years that followed that, Schloss spent her life traveling the world to warn against the world making the same mistakes that led to the Holocaust. Schloss did this by speaking in everything from schools to prisons about her message. In recognition of her good deeds, Schloss was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Civil Law at the University of Northumbria, Newcastle, and was made a Knight of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.
Following Schloss' passing, PBS published an article detailing how she fought to make the world a better place. That article featured this quote that encapsulated the message that Schloss sought to share with the world. "We must never forget the terrible consequences of treating people as 'other.' We need to respect everybody's races and religions. We need to live together with our differences. The only way to achieve this is through education, and the younger we start the better."
Eva Schloss and Anne Frank Were Childhood Friends Before They Became Stepsisters
It is important to note that Eva Schloss led a life of great value, whether she had any connection to Anne Frank or not. However, it is interesting to know that long before Schloss' mother married Anne Frank's father, there was a connection between Eva and Anne. A March 2019 San Diego Jewish World article detailed the fact that Schloss and Anne Frank were childhood friends before World War II. That article contained a quote from Schloss describing the moment she met Anne Frank.
“One day a little girl came to me and said, ‘You are new here,’ and introduced herself. Her name was Anne Frank, and we were both 11 years old. After school, we used to play together, skipping and hopscotch.” According to The Anne Frank House UK's aforementioned article, the two met in Merwedeplein, a neighborhood in Amsterdam. Anne Frank lived at Merwedeplein 37-2 and Schloss' family were in Merwedeplein 46.