UK owes debt to Windrush generation, says Prince
THE Prince of Wales has pledged to ensure that the Windrush generation’s contribution to Britain “is forever understood and appreciated”.
The country owes a “profound debt of gratitude” to Jamaican immigrants who served in the First and Second World Wars, and travelled to “help us rebuild our country”, he said.
In a message to worshippers at a church service celebrating Jamaica’s Diamond Jubilee, the Prince said he had commissioned portraits of some of the surviving Windrush pioneers to mark the 75th anniversary of their arrival.
“My hope is to use this project to honour and further celebrate that very special generation, and to ensure that all they did for this country is forever understood and appreciated,” he said.
The message was read by the Rt Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin, Bishop of Dover, at a “service of praise and thanksgiving” in Birmingham, to commemorate Jamaica’s Diamond Jubilee, beginning with the Prince’s apology for not attending in person.
“The strong relationship between Britain and Jamaica has been forged through the centuries, and continues to be strengthened by [the] connections between our people,” he said. “The contribution of Jamaicans to the life of this country has been immeasurable.”
The Prince has previously marked Windrush Day, and this year the Royal family contributed to the anniversary en masse for the first time.
The Queen, writing for the programme commemorating the unveiling of the first national monument to the Windrush pioneers, paid tribute to the “profound contribution” of Caribbean immigrants and their descendents.
The Duke of Cambridge, who attended the event in person with the Duchess, went a step further to voice his specific support for those who had been “profoundly wronged” by the Windrush scandal and suffered racism in Britain that continues to this day.
The Duke acknowledged the “immense” role they have played in the “fabric of our nation”, after “answering a plea to help our country thrive again” after the Second World War.