Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, on Thursday paid respect to his late great-grandmother Princess Alice, at her tomb at the Church of St Mary Magdalene.
Princess Alice of Battenberg married Prince Andrew of Greece, and is the mother of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.
William’s visit to Israel has been historic. He became the first British Royal to make an official visit to Israel and the disputed territories, meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin, as well as President Mahmoud Abbas of Palestine. He also passed a message of peace between the leaders.
Second in the line to the succession of the British throne after his father, Prince William was seen bowing his head, praying for several minutes before laying flowers at the tomb, and saying he found the experience on Thursday "profoundly moving".
At St. Mary Magdalene, William was hosted by Father Roman, the head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem, who told the Prince to pass along to Philip a message that they were caring for Alice’s tomb and praying for her.
Princess Alice is held in high regard for saving a Jewish family from the Nazis by offering them shelter at her palace in Greece. William said his great-grandmother’s story “is a matter of great pride for my whole family."