Royal Watch News

Prince Charles remembers tsunami victims

Aug 16, 2012, 12:01 GMT

Prince Charles and Camilla

Britain's Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall yesterday (15.08.12) paid tribute to the people who died in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

The Prince of Wales and his wife opened a memorial for the 155 British victims in London's Natural History Museum before Charles laid down a wreath.

They then took part in a minute's silence, during which Charles bowed his head.

The names of the victims are engraved on the floor beneath a 115 tonne granite monolith that stands in the grounds of the museum.

Before the ceremony, Charles and Camilla met the relatives of the people who died.

Charles was guided around the event by Michael Holland, son-in-law of filmmaker Lord Attenborough, who lost his daughter, wife and mother in the tsunami, which happened on Boxing Day 2004 (26.12.04).

Michael, who chairs the memorial project board for the charity Tsunami Support UK, said he hoped the monument, created by architects Kevin Carmody and Andy Groarke, was 'uplifting' to the bereaved families.

The duchess had an emotional conversation with Yvette Bent, whose daughter Sarah, 19, died in Kho Phi Phi, Thailand and both women were in tears while they were speaking to each other.