King Charles arrives at St George’s Chapel for Windrush service

King Charles attended a service at St George’s Chapel in Windsor to mark the 75th anniversary of the crossing of the Windrush.

The king attended the service with school children and representatives of the Prince Foundation, the Prince Foundation, Project Zero and the Amos grant.

A choir from St Martin-in-the-Fields High School for Girls in Tulse Hill, South London, sang; poetry was recited by children; and students at the Royal Drawing School in Shoreditch, East London, captured the events on paper.

It comes after Charles said it was ‘critically important’ to recognize the ‘immeasurable’ difference the Windrush generation has made for Britain.

His comments were in the foreword to a book accompanied by a display of portraits celebrating the Windrush generation’s 75th anniversary.

The milestone is being marked with events across Britain, including a national memorial service at Southwark Cathedral today.

People were pictured today viewing images of the original passenger list in the exhibition room next to the Port of Tilbury dock, which was used by Windrush migrants.

A scandal that erupted in 2018 saw many British citizens, mainly from the Caribbean, denied access to healthcare and benefits and threatened with deportation despite the right to live in the UK.

The HMT Empire Windrush first docked in England on 22 June 1948 at Tilbury Docks in Essex, bringing people from the Caribbean who heeded Britain’s call to help fill the post-war labor shortage.

A series of 10 new portraits will be on public display for the first time today at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, having been commissioned by Charles last year.

Windrush: Portraits Of A Pioneering Generation honors the achievements of the Windrush generation and those that followed.

In the foreword to the book accompanying the portraits, Charles said: ‘History happily and finally begins to give a rightful place to those men and women of the Windrush generation.

“The 10 portraits in this series, along with the tributes to other members of that indomitable generation, are a small way to honor their remarkable legacy.

“It is critical, I think, that we really see these pioneers who got off the Empire Windrush at Tilbury in June 1948 – just a few months before I was born – and those who followed them over the decades and hear. celebrate the immeasurable difference they, their children and their grandchildren have made to this country.”

He added: “Those pioneers, arriving in a land they had come to know from afar, left behind everything that was familiar to them.

“Many served with distinction in the British armed forces during the Second World War, just as their fathers and grandfathers had done in the First World War.

“Once in Britain, they worked hard, offering their skills to rebuild a country in peacetime and looking for opportunities to forge a better future for themselves and their families.

“Arriving on our shores with little more than what they could carry, few could have imagined how they, and those who followed them, would make such a profound and permanent contribution to British life.”

Charles said it is his “sincere hope” that the portrait project is a reminder that “our society is woven from several threads, each with stories of remarkable courage and sacrifice, determination and strength.”

He added: ‘Although they come from different parts of the world, collectively they enrich the fabric of our national life and the remarkable tapestry of the Commonwealth.

“This year, as we honor the legacy and achievements of the Windrush generation, I sincerely hope we can continue to embrace differences, listen to each other’s stories and learn from each other’s experiences.

It is these stories that help illuminate the path of progress and remind us of a fundamental truth: that while we may all be different, each individual, regardless of background, has something unique to contribute to our society in ways that stronger makes all.’

Last week, Charles hosted a Buckingham Palace reception where he met the 10 individuals whose faces have been immortalized in paint, and was given a special preview of the artwork to mark 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.

Created by black artists personally selected by the king, the portraits will be displayed on 500 billboards and 600 screens in shopping centers across the UK for two weeks.