King Charles attends service for 'Windrush pioneers'

Britain on Thursday celebrated the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the Empire Windrush ship bringing workers from the West Indies.

King Charles attended a service for young people and "Windrush pioneers" at St George´s Chapel on the royal family´s Windsor estate. 

Three-quarters of a century later, the anniversary is a chance for the UK to "recognise and celebrate the immeasurable contribution that they, their children and their grandchildren have made to this country", King Charles said.

"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," he said in the foreword of a book accompanying a display of portraits.

Known as the "Windrush generation", thousands of people came to the UK at the invitation of the British government between 1948 and the early 1970s to fill shortages of key workers following World War II.

Mostly from Jamaica or Trinidad and Tobago, they received indefinite leave to remain, but many who did not apply for passports later found themselves targeted by immigration laws intended to create a "hostile environment" for illegal immigrants.

Many lost jobs, homes, health care, pensions and benefits because they could not produce paperwork, while others were taken into custody or forced to return to the Caribbean.

Five years after the scandal sparked outrage, many of those affected are still waiting for the promised compensation.

For surviving members of the Windrush generation and their descendants, however, the scandal that erupted in 2018 remains an open wound.