The British Royal Family has paid tribute to the so-called Windrush generation, on the 75th anniversary of the ship’s arrival on British shores.
Last year, King Charles commissioned a series of ten portraits, all of which have been painted by black artists, to celebrate ten of the people aboard that boat.
The artwork has now been put on display at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh and will travel to London’s National Portrait Gallery in October.
Furthermore, the portraits are part of an art book, for which His Majesty penned the foreword. He wrote: “Though drawn from different parts of the world, they collectively enrich the fabric of our national life and the remarkable tapestry of the Commonwealth.”
The King was also present on 22 June at a service held at St George’s Chapel in Windsor that celebrated the Windrush generation.
This sentiment was echoed by his son and heir, the Prince of Wales; on the day of the anniversary, Kensington Palace released a video showcasing a series of pictures and narrated by the Prince himself.
In it, His Royal Highness recognises the hardships faced by those arriving in the UK but also praised the contributions they have made in the creation of today’s Britain, saying: “We know they experienced hardships,” and adding, “We are a better people today because the children and the grandchildren of those who came in 1948 have stayed and become part of who we are in 2023. And for that we are forever grateful.”
In 1948, HMT Empire Windrush found port at Tilbury Docks with 492 passengers on board, all of whom travelled to the UK to help rebuild the country after the devastation of World War II.
They came from all around the then-British Empire, but, despite having been invited, they faced several issues, most of which were uncovered in a 2018 investigation, becoming known as the Windrush scandal.
British law states that all Commonwealth citizens living in the UK have indefinite permission to live and work in the country. This was also valid back in the years between 1948 and 1971 when a lot more countries were part of the British Empire.
However, despite this, the 2018 investigation discovered that many of the immigrants of the so-called Windrush generation were not even recorded as living in the country upon arrival, and follow-up papers confirming their status were never issued, leading to many of them being unable to access basic needs like houses, jobs or healthcare.
King Charles has already given signs that he wants the public to understand that today’s monarchy is not the same as it was back then, and he has not only been celebrating members of the Windrush generation but also given access to the Royal Archives for a study of the role played by the monarchy in the slave trade.
