King Charles arrives at St George's Chapel for Windrush service
King Charles arrives at St George’s Chapel for Windrush 75th anniversary service to celebrate the Caribbean and Commonwealth migrants who came to Britain after World War Two
- King Charles is attending a Windrush service at St George’s Chapel in Windsor
- Schoolchildren and representatives from Prince’s Trust also in attendance
King Charles has arrived for a service at St George’s Chapel in Windsor to mark the 75th anniversary of the Windrush crossing.
The King will attend the service with schoolchildren and representatives from the Prince’s Trust, the Prince’s Foundation, Project Zero and the Amos bursary.
A choir from St Martin-in-the-Fields High School for Girls in Tulse Hill, South London, will sing; poetry will be recited by children; and students from the Royal Drawing School in Shoreditch, East London, will capture the proceedings on paper.
It comes after Charles said it was ‘crucially important’ to recognise the ‘immeasurable’ difference the Windrush generation has made to Britain.
His comments were in the foreword of a book which accompanies a display of portraits that celebrate the Windrush generation on the 75th anniversary.
King Charles III arriving for a service at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle in Berkshire
The milestone is being marked with events across Britain, including a national commemoration service at Southwark Cathedral today.
READ MORE King Charles unveils portraits commissioned for 75th anniversary of the Windrush generation as he praises their ‘immeasurable’ contribution to the UK
A scandal, which erupted in 2018, saw many British citizens, mostly from the Caribbean, denied access to healthcare and benefits and threatened with deportation despite having the right to live in the UK.
The HMT Empire Windrush first docked in England on June 22, 1948 at Tilbury Docks in Essex, bringing people from the Caribbean who answered Britain’s call to help fill post-war labour shortages.
A series of 10 new portraits will go on public display for the first time today at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh after being commissioned by Charles last year.
Windrush: Portraits Of A Pioneering Generation honours the accomplishments of the Windrush generation and those that followed.
In the foreword to the book accompanying the portraits, Charles said: ‘History is, thankfully and finally, beginning to accord a rightful place to those men and women of the Windrush generation.
‘The 10 portraits in this series, together with the tributes to other members of that indomitable generation, are a small way to honour their remarkable legacy.
‘It is, I believe, crucially important that we should truly see and hear these pioneers who stepped off the Empire Windrush at Tilbury in June 1948 – only a few months before I was born – and those who followed over the decades, to recognise and celebrate the immeasurable difference that they, their children and their grandchildren have made to this country.’
Charles arriving for the service this morning to recognise the Windrush 75th anniversary
King Charles III laughs with Delisser Bernard during a reception at Buckingham Palace in London on June 14 to mark the 75th anniversary of the arrival of HMT Empire Windrush
King Charles III and Queen Camilla with Linda Haye, Laceta Reid, Gilda Oliver, Carmen Esme Munroe, Edna Henry, Jessie Stephens, Delisser Bernard, John Richards and Alford Gardener, during a reception at Buckingham Palace on June 14
King Charles III speaks with Edna Henry during a reception at Buckingham Palace on June 14
King Charles III speaks with John Richards during a reception at Buckingham Palace on June 14
Queen Camilla with Laceta Reid (second left)and his family at Buckingham Palace on June 14
He added: ‘Those pioneers, who arrived in a land they had learned about from afar, left behind all that was familiar to them.
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‘Many served with distinction in the British Armed Forces during the Second World War, just as their fathers and grandfathers had in the First World War.
‘Once in Britain, they worked hard, offering their skills to rebuild a country during peacetime and seeking opportunities to forge a better future for themselves and their families.
‘When they arrived on our shores with little more than what they were able to carry with them, few could hardly have imagined then how they, and those that followed them, would make such a profound and permanent contribution to British life.’
Charles said it is his ‘sincere hope’ that the portrait project acts as a reminder that ‘our society is woven from diverse threads, each comprising stories of remarkable courage and sacrifice, determination and strength’.
He added: ‘Though drawn from different parts of the world, they collectively enrich the fabric of our national life and the remarkable tapestry of the Commonwealth.
‘This year, as we honour the legacy and achievements of the Windrush generation, I dearly hope that we can continue to embrace differences, listen to each other’s stories, and learn from one another’s experiences.
HMT Empire Windrush with people from the Caribbean who answered Britain’s call to help fill post-war labour shortages on arrival at the Port of Tilbury in Essex on June 22, 1948
The HMT Empire Windrush is pictured docked at Southampton on March 28, 1954
People from the Caribbean are welcomed by RAF officials from the Colonial Office after the ex-troopship HMT Empire Windrush landed them at Tilbury on June 22, 1948
‘It is these stories that help light the path of progress and remind us of a fundamental truth: that though we might all be different, every individual, no matter their background, has something unique to contribute to our society in a way that strengthens us all.’
Last week, Charles hosted a Buckingham Palace reception where he met the 10 individuals whose faces have been immortalised in paint, and was given a special preview of the artworks marking the 75th anniversary.
The sitters were selected by the Windrush Portraits Committee, appointed by Charles and chaired by Baroness Floella Benjamin, along with Paulette Simpson, Bishop Rose Hudson-Wilkin and Rudolph Walker.
The portraits, which were done by black artists personally selected by the King, will be displayed for two weeks on 500 billboards and 600 shopping centre screens across the UK.
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