Anne Frank's cousin, Buddy Elias, has died aged 89.

Mr Elias died peacefully in Basel, Switzerland, the Anne Frank Fonds Foundation announced on Tuesday.

As president of the charity he was a lifelong protector of his young diarist cousin and spent years giving lectures and interviews about the Holocaust.

Mr Elias was also involved in international projects dedicated to fighting racism and antisemitism.

Born in Frankfurt in 1925 he spent the early years of his life with his cousins Anne and Margot Frank before his family emigrated to Switzerland in 1931 where they lived out the war.

He was often mentioned in her diary, including a fond memory of the them ice-skating together. Mr Elias was later a champion in the sport.

Gillian Walnes, co-founder and director of the Anne Frank Trust UK, said: “I knew Buddy Elias and his wife Gerti for over 20 years.

“He was always a joyful and charismatic person to spend time with. He was a great humanitarian and supporter of the work and aims of the Anne Frank Trust and cared deeply about racism and injustice.”

In 2012, Mr Elias told German magazine Der Spiegel his favourite line from her diary was: "The time will come when we will be people again and not just Jews."