Kate Middleton and Prince William mark Windrush Day

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Kate Middleton looked elegant this morning as she donned a crisp white trouser suit for a series of engagements to mark Windrush Day. 

The couple arrived this morning at ELEVATE to meet with younger generations of the British-Caribbean community at the youth programme nurturing the next generation of British creative talent. 

ELEVATE works with a network of schools and colleges, training organisations and employers to help young people build skills and access opportunities to help them build successful careers within the creative industries. 

Kate, who is a keen photographer, was eager to get behind the camera and was given a video tutorial by a member of the group, and was heard asking questions about how to zoom. 

The couple then moved on to Waterloo to attend the unveiling of a national monument in one of London‘s biggest train stations to celebrate the dreams and courage of the Windrush generation.

For the outing, Kate recycled the £1,370 Alexander McQueen blazer she wore in Jamaica on the couple’s recent tour of the Caribbean, teaming it with £590 crepe slim-leg pants and Mulberry’s small Amberley crossbody bag in white. She teamed the look with a new pair of £70 earrings from archietcture inspired-brand, Chalk. 

In a speech at the statue unveiling, Prince William acknowledged that the future the Windrush generation sought and ‘deserve’d has not yet come to pass, saying: ‘Discrimination remains an all too familiar experience for black men and women in Britain in 2022.’  

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Kate Middleton and Prince William mark Windrush Day

Kate Middleton looked elegant this morning as she donned a crisp white trouser suit for a series of engagements to mark Windrush Day, incuding a visit to youth group ELEVATE in Brixton where she got to grips with a camera to practice filming 

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, accompanied by Baroness Floella Benjamin (left) attending the unveiling of the National Windrush Monument at Waterloo Station

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, accompanied by Baroness Floella Benjamin (left) attending the unveiling of the National Windrush Monument at Waterloo Station

The Duchess looked delighted as she was introduced to young people ahead of the unveiling of the Windrush statue at Waterlook station

The Duchess looked delighted as she was introduced to young people ahead of the unveiling of the Windrush statue at Waterlook station 

The Duchess of Cambridge during her visit with the Duke of Cambridge to ELEVATE at Brixton House in London to meet with younger generations of the British-Caribbean community

The Duchess of Cambridge during her visit with the Duke of Cambridge to ELEVATE at Brixton House in London to meet with younger generations of the British-Caribbean community

 

Only a matter of years ago, tens of thousands of that Generation were profoundly wronged by the Windrush Scandal. That rightly reverberates throughout the Caribbean community here in the UK as well as many in the Caribbean nations.

Therefore, alongside celebrating the diverse fabric of our families, our communities and our society as a whole – something the Windrush Generation has contributed so much to – it is also important to acknowledge the ways in which the future they sought and deserved has yet to come to pass.

 

The statue – of a man, woman and child in their Sunday best standing on top of suitcases – will be revealed at Waterloo Station on Wednesday to mark Windrush Day.

It was designed by the Jamaican artist and sculptor Basil Watson, who said it had been an honour to create the monument.

William and Kate will gather alongside members of the Windrush generation for the unveiling.

The Government, which has provided £1 million in funding for the project, said it ‘symbolises the courage, commitment and resilience of the thousands of men, women and children who travelled to the UK to start new lives from 1948 to 1971’.

It also acknowledges the Windrush generation’s ‘outstanding contribution’ to British society and is intended to be ‘a permanent place of reflection’, it added.

Waterloo station was chosen because thousands of people who arrived from the Caribbean passed through the station on their way to start their new lives across the country, the Government said.

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The unveiling is one of dozens of events and activities across England to celebrate Windrush Day 2022.

Mr Watson said his monument pays tribute to the ‘dreams and aspirations, courage and dignity, skills and talents’ of the Windrush generation who arrived with ‘a hope of contributing to a society that they expected would welcome them in return’.

Today's engagements are designed to celebrate the dreams and courage of the Windrush generation.

Today’s engagements are designed to celebrate the dreams and courage of the Windrush generation.

The Duchess, who is a keen photographer, no doubt enjoyed the opportunity to get behind the lens and was heard asking questions about zooming

The Duchess, who is a keen photographer, no doubt enjoyed the opportunity to get behind the lens and was heard asking questions about zooming 

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge during their visit to ELEVATE at Brixton House in London to meet with younger generations of the British-Caribbean community

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge during their visit to ELEVATE at Brixton House in London to meet with younger generations of the British-Caribbean community

He said: ‘My parents, along with a great many others, took the long arduous voyage from the Caribbean with very little or nothing other than their aspirations, their courage and a promise of opportunity for advancement.

‘This monument tells that story of hope, determination, a strong belief in selves and a vison for the future.’

Communities Secretary Michael Gove said: ‘Seeing Basil Watson’s magnificent monument, it’s easy to imagine the excitement, hope and apprehension that the Windrush pioneers must have felt as they arrived in the UK.

Queen pays tribute to the ‘profound contribution’ of the Windrush ‘pioneers’ 

In a written message on Windrush Day, the monarch said she hoped the statue at Waterloo – of a man, woman and child in their Sunday best standing on top of suitcases – would inspire present and future generations.

The Queen’s message read: ‘It gives me pleasure to extend my congratulations on the creation of the National Windrush Monument.

‘The unveiling at Waterloo Station on Windrush Day serves as a fitting thank you to the Windrush pioneers and their descendants, in recognition of the profound contribution they have made to the United Kingdom over the decades.

‘It is my hope that the memorial will serve to inspire present and future generations, and I send you my warmest good wishes on this historic occasion.’

The message was signed Elizabeth R.

‘Overcoming great sacrifice and hardship, the Windrush Generation and their descendants have gone on to make an immense contribution to public life. Britain would be much diminished without them.’

Communities minister Kemi Badenoch added: ‘Basil Watson’s sculpture perfectly captures the spirit of Windrush.

‘In it we see the strength, hope and expectation of those who arrived with little and yet gave so much.

‘As a first-generation immigrant myself, the Windrush story resonates with me and it is important we recognise the contribution of those who have so enriched our country.’

The Queen today sent her best wishes to mark the unveiling of the monument, saying: ‘It gives me pleasure to extend my congratulations on the creation of the National Windrush Monument.

‘The unveiling at Waterlook Station on Windrush Day serves as a fitting thank you to the Windrush pioneers and their descendants, in recognition of the profound contribution they have made to the United Kingdom over the decades.

‘It is my hope that the memorial will serve to inspire present and future generations, and I send you my warmest good wishes on thie historic occasion.’ 

It comes as famous faces including actor Sir Lenny Henry, poet Benjamin Zephaniah, broadcaster Sir Trevor Phillips, historian David Olusoga and cross-party politicians called for Windrush Day 2023 to be a ‘major national moment’.

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Next year marks 75 years since the arrival of HMT Empire Windrush at Tilbury docks in 1948, bringing 500 passengers from the Caribbean.

More than 100 leaders from politics, faith and civil society, sport, culture and business have signed a joint letter, published in The Times newspaper, starting the one-year countdown to the milestone.

They write: ‘This is not only black History – it is British history. It should be something we all know and commemorate.

‘We call on the Government and all UK institutions, from politics to civil society, faith, culture, business and sport, to step up and fully play their part next year.’

The couples were all smiles as they were joined by Baroness Floella Benjamin, the former Blue Peter presenter

The couples were all smiles as they were joined by Baroness Floella Benjamin, the former Blue Peter presenter 

Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove, Windrush passenger Alford Gardner, The Duke of Cambridge and Baroness Floella Benjamin at the unveiling of the National Windrush Monument at Waterloo Station

Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove, Windrush passenger Alford Gardner, The Duke of Cambridge and Baroness Floella Benjamin at the unveiling of the National Windrush Monument at Waterloo Station

Polling commissioned to mark Windrush Day suggests that 64% of the public thinks children should be taught about Windrush to help understand Britain’s history of empire and its diverse society.

Just 9% of people disagreed, according to the survey of 2,006 British adults by Focaldata between February 28 and March 7.

Almost half (49%) of those surveyed said they are familiar with the story of the Windrush, while 46% said they would like to know more about it.

The polling was carried out for the Windrush 75 network, set up to co-ordinate efforts for the 75th anniversary over the next 12 months, and the think tank British Future.

Prince William says Windrush generation did not get the future they ‘deserve’ as he acknowledges racism suffered by  

Thank you for inviting Catherine and me. It is a privilege to be here with you all.

Today is a day we celebrate and honour the Windrush Generation and the enormous contribution each and every one of them has made, and continue to make, to our society.

I am delighted that so many of that generation and their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren are here today.

When the Windrush Generation sailed from the Caribbean to rebuild war torn Britain, they did so as British citizens, answering a plea to help our country thrive again.

Many of them were not strangers to these shores. In the decade before 1948, thousands served in the RAF, either flying, navigating or as ground crew keeping our squadrons airborne – including Allan Wilmot, the eldest Windrush pioneer whose family are with us today.

These people didn’t have to come. They volunteered to fight for King and country – in the full knowledge that many would never make it home again.

As one of the inheritors of that great military tradition I understand how much we owe to these men and women. Today’s ceremony would not be complete without remembering their sacrifice.

Over the past seven decades, the Windrush Generation’s role in the fabric of our national life has been immense.

Today, as we look around us, we can see just how many of the institutions in our country are built by that generation: commerce and manufacturing, sports and science, engineering and fashion.

Here in Waterloo Station, we are reminded of the role played by thousands of people from the Windrush Generation in our essential public transport system – from train drivers to conductors and technical staff.

Although it is not where the passengers of the Empire Windrush first arrived, subsequently many thousands of Caribbean people did pass through Waterloo and dispersed to cities across the UK. So the placement of the monument here is an acknowledgement of the contribution of those people to one of the most important elements of our national infrastructure.

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Just down the road, in St Thomas’s Hospital, we can reflect on the Windrush Generation’s huge contribution to the NHS, a service founded only two weeks after the Empire Windrush docked in 1948. Since then, over 40,000 Windrush and Commonwealth nurses and midwives have cared for those in need.

Indeed, every part of British life is better for the half a million men and women of the Windrush Generation.

Be it public life – and we are a stone’s throw from the Borough of Southwark, home to Sam King MBE, Windrush passenger, postman, founder of the West Indian Gazette, the first black mayor in London, campaigner and the co-founder of the Windrush Foundation.

Be it arts and culture – and we need look no further than Floella, the face of children’s television to millions of young people for more than a decade.

There are simply too many people to list. And we know without question, that the Windrush Generation have made our culture richer, our services stronger, and our fellow countrymen safer.

My family have been proud to celebrate this for decades – whether that be through support from my father on Windrush Day, or more recently during my Grandmother’s Platinum Jubilee, as people from all communities and backgrounds came together to acknowledge all that has changed over the past seventy years and look to the future.

This is something that resonated with Catherine and me after our visit to the Caribbean earlier this year. Our trip was an opportunity to reflect, and we learnt so much. Not just about the different issues that matter most to the people of the region, but also how the past weighs heavily on the present.

Sadly, that is also the case for members of the Windrush Generation who were victims of racism when they arrived here, and discrimination remains an all too familiar experience for black men and women in Britain in 2022.

Only a matter of years ago, tens of thousands of that Generation were profoundly wronged by the Windrush Scandal. That rightly reverberates throughout the Caribbean community here in the UK as well as many in the Caribbean nations.

Therefore, alongside celebrating the diverse fabric of our families, our communities and our society as a whole – something the Windrush Generation has contributed so much to – it is also important to acknowledge the ways in which the future they sought and deserved has yet to come to pass.

Diversity is what makes us strong, and it is what reflects the modern, outward-looking values that are so important to our country.

Today, as we stand together to witness Windrush Pioneers, Alford and John unveil Basil’s landmark monument, we are reminded of our shared history and the enormous contribution of the Windrush Generation.

Without you all, Britain would simply not be what it is today.

I want to say a profound thank you to every member of that generation, and the generations that have followed. And I want you to know that you can count on mine and Catherine’s continued support in helping us achieve a future they would be proud of.

Thank you again for inviting us to join you on this important day.

 

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