Prince William and his wife Kate have attended the unveiling of a national monument in one of London’s biggest train stations to celebrate the Windrush generation.
The statue — of a man, woman and child in their Sunday best standing on top of suitcases — was revealed at Waterloo Station on Wednesday to mark Windrush Day.
The National Windrush Monument was designed by Jamaican artist and sculptor Basil Watson, who said it had been an honour to create the piece.
Prince William and Kate gathered alongside members of the Windrush generation for the unveiling.
The UK government, which provided £1 million for the project, said the statue ”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 offer “a permanent place of reflection”, the government said.
Waterloo 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, officials said.
The unveiling is one of dozens of events and activities across England to celebrate Windrush Day.
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”.
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 vision 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.
“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.“
Famous public figures, including actor Sir Lenny Henry, poet Benjamin Zephaniah, broadcaster Sir Trevor Phillips, historian David Olusoga and cross-party politicians are calling for Windrush Day 2023 to be a “major national moment” for Britain.
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 wrote: “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.”
Polling commissioned to mark Windrush Day suggests 64 per cent of the public believe children should be taught about Windrush to help understand Britain’s history of empire and its diverse society.
Only 9 per cent disagreed, said the survey of 2,006 British adults by Focaldata.
Prince William through the years - in pictures
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1982: A 6-month old Prince William with his mother Princess Diana at Kensington Palace in London. Prince William is celebrating his 40th birthday in 2022. Here 'The National' looks back at each of the years of his life. AP Photo -
1983: Prince Charles and Princess Diana with their son Prince William. Getty Images -
1984: Prince William leaves the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital in London holding the hand of his nanny Barbara Barnes, having visiting his mother Princess Diana, after the birth of his brother Prince Harry. Getty Images -
1985: Prince Charles and Prince William on the royal yacht 'Britannia' during a visit to Venice, Italy. Getty Images -
1986: Prince William wearing the uniform of the Parachute Regiment of the British Army in the garden of Highgrove House in Doughton, Gloucestershire. Getty Images -
1987: Prince William holding the hand of Princess Diana on his arrival for the first day at his new school, Wetherby School, in London. AP Photo -
1988: Prince William with Princess Diana at Guards Polo Club. Getty Images -
1989: Prince Charles and Princess Diana and their sons, Princes William and Harry begin a cycle ride around the island of Tresco, one of the Scilly Isles. AP Photo -
1990: Princess Diana and Prince William during a holiday on Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands. Getty Images -
1991: Prince William shakes hands with royal fans during a visit to St. James Cathedral in Toronto, Canada. AP Photo -
1992: Prince William go-karting at Buckmore Park 'Playscape' in Chatham, England. Getty Images -
1993: Princess Diana with Prince William and Prince Harry passing the Hotel Arlberg during an afternoon carriage ride, on a ski holiday in Lech, Austria. Getty Images -
1994: Prince William and Princess Diana applaud the Wimbledon Ladies' Tennis Championship presentations after the final. AP Photo -
1995: Prince William attends his first day at Eton College, with Princess Diana, Prince Harry, and Prince Charles. Getty Images -
1996: Prince William smiling outside Clarence House on his great grandmother's birthday. Getty Images -
1997: Prince William walks with head bowed behind the coffin of his mother Princess Diana, on its way to London's Westminster Abbey for her funeral ceremony. AP Photo -
1998: Prince William and Prince Charles meet the public after the Christmas Day church service at Sandringham. Getty Images -
1999: Prince William gets out of his new Ford Focus car while learning to drive at Highgrove, Gloucestershire. Getty Images -
2000: Prince William carries a log used to construct walkways to link buildings during his Raleigh International expedition in the village of Tortel, Southern Chile. Getty Images -
2001: Prince William, Prince Harry and Prince Charles appear with the Queen Mother during celebrations to mark her 101st birthday in London. Getty Images -
2002: Prince Charles and his sons William and Harry in the Swiss village of Klosters at the start of his annual skiing holiday in the Alps. Getty Images -
2003: Prince William poses on the pier at St Andrews, where he attended university, in Scotland. Getty Images -
2004: Prince William participates in the annual Army v Navy match for the Rundle Cup at Tidworth Polo Club in Wiltshire. Getty Images -
2005: Prince William, second left back row, poses with the royal family at Windsor Castle after Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall's wedding ceremony. Getty Images -
2006: Prince William smiles at the passing-out Sovereign's Parade at Sandhurst Military Academy. Getty Images -
2007: Prince William and Prince Harry celebrate a try that was to be disallowed during the 2007 Rugby World Cup Final between England and South Africa in Saint-Denis, France. Getty Images -
2008: Prince William walks across the airfield at RAF Cranwell, Lincolnshire. AP Photo -
2009: Prince William is shown how to extract DNA from a mosquito by Dr Yvonne Linton, on a visit to open the Darwin Centre at the Natural History Museum, London. Getty Images -
2010: Prince William and his fiancee Kate Middleton pose for the media at St. James's Palace in London after they announced their engagement. AP Photo -
2011: Prince William exchanges rings with his bride Kate Middleton at their wedding in Westminster Abbey, London. Getty Images -
2012: Prince William and his wife Kate celebrate at the Velodrome during the London 2012 Olympic Games. Getty Images -
2013: The Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William depart the Lindo Wing with their newborn son Prince George at St Mary's Hospital in London. Getty Images -
2014: Prince William and Kate meet a koala at Taronga Zoo in Sydney. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were on a three-week tour of Australia and New Zealand. Getty Images -
2015: Prince William and Kate arrive with their son Prince George for the christening of their daughter Princess Charlotte at the Church of St Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham estate. Getty Images -
2016: Prince William alongside Queen Elizabeth on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the Trooping the Colour, this year marking the Queen's 90th birthday. Getty Images -
2017: Prince William and Prince Harry during a visit to The Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace. The garden had been transformed into a White Garden dedicated to the memory of Princess Diana. Getty Images -
2018: Prince William looks on as Meghan Markle sits in George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, for her wedding to Prince Harry. Getty Images -
2019: Prince William and Kate visit a settlement of the Kalash people, to learn more about their culture and unique heritage, in Chitral, Pakistan. Getty Images -
2020: Prince William and his wife Kate at the Shire Hall Care Home in Wales, where they spoke to some of the home's staff, residents and their family members during the coronavirus pandemic. Getty Images -
2021: Prince William and Prince Harry unveil a statue they commissioned of their mother Princess Diana, in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, on what would have been her 60th birthday. Getty Images -
2022: Prince William onstage during the Platinum Party at the Palace in front of Buckingham Palace, during the jubilee celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II. Getty Images
