King Charles and Queen made a delightful appearance this afternoon as they hosted a reception at Buckingham Palace to commemorate the 75th anniversary of HMT Empire Windrush’s arrival in the UK. The newly crowned King and Queen were joined by BBC News anchor Clive Myrie, whose parents were part of the Windrush generation and migrated to the UK in the 1960s. Esteemed guests including veteran journalist Sir Trevor McDonald, former Loose Women panelist June Sarpong, and Jamaican-born entrepreneur Levi Roots also attended the event.
For the occasion, Queen Camilla wore an elegant button-down green-and-white printed dress. She completed her ensemble with a delicate gold pendant necklace and pearl earrings. A photograph captures Queen Camilla smiling alongside former Loose Women panelist June Sarpong at the Windrush reception this afternoon.
During the historic event this afternoon, the royal couple will unveil ten new portraits of Windrush elders. These artworks were commissioned by King Charles in 2022 when he was still the Prince of Wales. The subjects were carefully selected by the Windrush Portraits Committee, chaired by Baroness Floella Benjamin. These portraits serve as a tribute to the Windrush Generation and their lasting impact on the UK. King Charles personally chose black artists to paint these portraits.
The former troop ship Empire Windrush arrived in Britain on June 22, 1948, carrying individuals from various Caribbean nations who responded to an advertisement offering tickets for £28 (equivalent to around £1040 in today’s currency) to work in the UK. Between 1948 and 1970, over half a million Windrush migrants from the West Indies left their homes to settle in the UK. These migrants, who came from former and current British colonies, had an automatic right to settle in the UK as the country recognized the need for a large labor influx from abroad to aid in the reconstruction of the British economy. Many of these migrants had served the UK during the Second World War and subsequently found employment as nurses, cooks, engineers, mechanics, and more.
King Charles exuded great enthusiasm this afternoon as he prepared to unveil the ten commissioned portraits. Queen Camilla engaged in conversation and shook hands with Sir Trevor McDonald and Jamaican-born entrepreneur Levi Roots, renowned for his Reggae Reggae sauce on Dragon’s Den. The royal couple also interacted with Michael Gove, Moira Stuart, Yolanda Brown, and David Lammy, showcasing the diversity of guests at the Windrush reception.
The appeal for new workers primarily targeted white Europeans, who had been the dominant group immigrating to Britain before the Second World War and continued to play a significant role afterward. Working-age adults and many children from the Caribbean traveled to join their parents or grandparents in the UK, often without proper documentation. Since these individuals had a lawful right to enter the UK, they did not require any official documents upon arrival, nor did they receive them even after changes in immigration laws in the early 1970s. Many worked or attended schools in the UK without any official records, relying solely on the same documentation as any UK-born citizen.
The Windrush scandal, which emerged in 2012 due to the Government’s “hostile environment policy,” resulted in the wrongful deportation, detention, and eviction of migrants who arrived from the Caribbean between 1948 and 1973. Subsequently, the Government promised compensation to those affected, but there has been criticism regarding the delay in response. Earlier today, Queen Camilla had an audience with Colonel Ruth Weir, head of the Royal Australian Corps of Military Police, at Buckingham Palace. Additionally, she attended the Bees For Development Garden Party in honor of the charity’s 30th anniversary. During the garden party, Queen Camilla actively participated in creating a paper bee sculpture and symbolically erased a drawing of the insect to raise awareness about the destruction bees face.
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