King Charles has hailed the Windrush generation for their "profound and permanent contribution to British life."
To mark the 75th anniversary (22.06.23) of HMT Empire Windrush first transporting people to the UK from the Caribbean
on this day in 1948, the 74-year-old sovereign led tributes to the "pioneers", who left behind "all that was familiar" to them to offer up their skills to help rebuild the country during peacetime after the Second World War.
Last year, the then-Prince of Wales commissioned the 'Windrush: Portraits of a Pioneering Generation' project, created by 10 Black artists in honour of the "tremendous impacts of the Windrush Generation" on the UK.
The 10 portraits have gone on public display for the first time at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the royal residence in Scotland, today.
King Charles said: "History is, thankfully and finally, beginning to accord a rightful place to those men and women of the Windrush generation."
He continued: "Those pioneers, who arrived in a land they had learned about from afar, left behind all that was familiar to them.
"Once in Britain, they worked hard, offering their skills to rebuild a country during peacetime and seeking opportunities to forge a better future for themselves and their families.
"When they arrived on our shores with little more than what they were able to carry with them, few could hardly have imagined then how they, and those that followed them, would make such a profound and permanent contribution to British life."
The King added that it is his "sincere hope" that the portraits remind us that "our society is woven from diverse threads, each comprising stories of remarkable courage and sacrifice, determination and strength."
The King is currently attending a service at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle to mark the anniversary.
Charles and Queen Camilla also hosted a reception at Buckingham Palace.
The Prince of Wales - who is first in line to the British throne - also shared a special video message on the anniversary,
Prince William said: "We are a better people today because the children and the grandchildren of those who came in 1948 have stayed and become a part of who we are in 2023, and for that we are forever grateful.
"Today we celebrate the Windrush Generation, their descendants, and everything they have given us all."
