Prince William Addresses Racism During Windrush Day Speech

During a speech for the national Windrush monument which was debuted Wednesday at Waterloo station, Prince William remarked that racism is an “all too familiar” reality for Black people in Britain.

He attended the event with wife Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge. The Windrush scandal, which came to light in 2018, resulted in hundreds of Commonwealth citizens—mostly from the Windrush generation—being wrongly deported, detained and deprived of their legal rights.

He also stated that his recent week-long trip to the Caribbean—which received mixed responses—was all about learning. “Our trip was an opportunity to reflect and we learned so much - not just about the different issues that matter most to the people of the region, but also about how the past weighs heavily on the present,” Prince William said.

He explained:

“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 and as well as in many of the Caribbean nations. Therefore alongside celebrating the diverse fabric of our families, 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.”

In March, Prince William’s exploration of Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, was marred by protests and demands for slavery reparations.

During Wednesday’s speech, he shared: “Diversity is what makes us strong, and it is what reflects the modern, outward-looking values that are so important to our country.”