Kate MiddletonandPrince Williamare marking the start of Black History Month in the U.K.
Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Prince William and Princess Kate were all smiles as they arrived at the Grange Pavilion, where they met members of the Windrush Cymru Elders, Black History Cymru 365 and the Ethnic Minority Youth Forum. The royal couple heard about the contributions of the Windrush generation on the Welsh community and how young minority ethnic individuals are driving positive change in Wales.
Prince William and Kate Middleton arrive in Cardiff.Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images
Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images
During a chat with local children, the parents of three connected with a group of elementary school students.
Gracie, 11, from Howardian Primary School, said Kate asked her what subjects she enjoyed. “I said I like maths and like our teachers teaching us. And she said I could teach [Prince] George some maths!”
They also spoke about whether she was “enjoying to learn about the Windrush,” Gracie adds. “I was excited to be here and represent my school.”
Kate Middleton arrives in Cardiff.Chris Jackson/Getty Images
William chatted with a young boy about cricket. “Are you a batsman or a bowler?” the prince asked.
Lilly, 8, Amelia, 8, and Summer, 9, from St. Paul’s Church in Wales Primary School (the area’s most diverse school with over 33 languages represented) were near the front and got to shake the prince and princess’s hands. “I’m not going to wash my hands now,” Lilly tells PEOPLE. “This one of Prince William and this one was Kate,” she adds, holding up her hands.
Summer adds, “Princess Kate asked what sports I like and I said I like football.”
When Fatima, 6, said she was in year one, Kate told her that her youngest “Louis is in the same year.”
Kate Middleton and Prince William arrive in Cardiff.Samir Hussein/WireImage
Samir Hussein/WireImage
The headteacher of St. Paul’s Ruth Wiltshire adds: “You can tell they’re young parents as they have real empathy with the children. English may not be the first language for many of our children or they may be shy but the prince and princess re-phrased their questions and what they said to the children accordingly.”
On June 21, 1948, 1,027 people from the Caribbean debarked the Empire Windrush in London. Many came to the U.K. to fill post-war labor shortages and forge a new life, theHouse of Lords Librarystates. The “Windrush generation” became shorthand for the those who relocated to the United Kingdom between 1948 and 1973, especially from Caribbean countries. In 2018, the government of the U.K. made Windrush Day (June 22) a holiday to commemorate the contributions of Windrush Generation and their descendants on national life.
William and Kate’s first conversation on Tuesday was with the Windrush Cymru Elders. The group was formed in 2017 through the Race Council Cymru to promote the understanding of ethnic minority elders' concerns and celebrate the contributions of the Windrush Generation and people of African descent in Wales. The Prince and Princess of Wales learned more about the lived experiences of the elders plus the larger generation’s lasting impact in Wales.
Prince William and Kate Middleton laugh with members from the Windrush Cymru Elders.GEOFF CADDICK/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
GEOFF CADDICK/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
The couple moved to a chat with young people from the Ethnic Minority Youth Forum, a youth advisory group for Race Council Cymru. The forum is made up of young people ranging in age from 11 to 25 working to be a voice of change for youth from minority ethnic groups in Wales.
Prince William and Princess Kate also connected with young people from the Somali community, which comprises a large portion of Grangetown, Cardiff. The royals also got to know members of the Wales Somaliland Youth Links and Cardiff Bay Warriors FC soccer team, who spoke about ongoing community projects involving soccer and youth unemployment, plus forming friendships between young people in Cardiff and Somaliland.
Kate Middleton and Prince William marked the start of Black History Month while a visit to Cardiff, Wales on Oct. 3.GEOFF CADDICK/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
As they left to head to Fitzalan High School, William and Kate were given small posies of flowers, some leeks (the traditional Welsh vegetable) — and a cake.Prince William had an unexpected question for baker Zara Ali, from The Hideout cafe, as the couple accepted the treat.
“He asked if it was healthy,” Ali tells PEOPLE of the Victoria sponge cake, which was flavored with ginger, cardamon and raspberry. “I said healthy-ish. The fruit on the top is but everything elseis sugar and carbs!”
Kate Middleton and Prince William marked the start of Black History Month while a visit to Cardiff, Wales on Oct. 3.Karwai Tang/WireImage
Karwai Tang/WireImage
On Windrush Day in June 2022, Prince William and Princess participated in theunveiling of a memorialhonoring the Windrush Generation in London. The prince used the occasion to recognize how the “past weighs heavily on the present” amid the controversy that followed the couple’sCaribbean tourin March 2022, where their presence was met with some protests over colonialism and calls to dropQueen Elizabethas head of state.
“My family have been proud to celebrate this for decades — whether that be through support from my father on Windrush Day, or more recently during my grandmother’s Platinum Jubilee, as people from all communities and backgrounds came together to acknowledge all that has changed over the past seventy years and look to the future,” Prince William said at the event.
The Prince of Wales touched on the “hardships” members of the Windrush Generation experienced while settling into the U.K. in the 1950s and 1960s and recognized their vital role in helping rebuild Britain after World War II in anInstagramvideo on Windrush Day in June.
“We are a better people today because the children and the grandchildren of those who came in 1948 have stayed and become part of who we are in 2023,” William said. “And for that, we are forever grateful.”
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King Charles named his eldest son the Prince of Wales in his first speech as King following the death of Queen Elizabeth last September, making Kate the Princess of Wales in the same sweep.
When they were given their new title, those close to William and Kate reiterated their commitment to Wales. A royal source told PEOPLE at the time, “The Prince and Princess of Wales will approach their roles in the modest and humble way they’ve approached their work previously.”
source: people.com
