Prince Charles celebrates 'unity through diversity' as he guest edits The Voice
Actor Idris Elba and the prime minister of Barbados are some of those interviewed for the special edition of the newspaper.
Wednesday 31 August 2022 23:45, UK
The Prince of Wales has spoken about the importance of "unity through diversity" as he guest edited The Voice - the only national black newspaper in the UK.
The special edition celebrates some of the achievements of Britain's black community over the 40 years since the paper started in 1982.
It touches on themes including community cohesion, education, climate, the arts and the Commonwealth.
The paper says the future king uses his editor's letter to detail his "vision to tackle racial injustice and unfairness".
In his column, Charles said he was "so touched" to be asked to get involved with the paper's anniversary.
Actor Idris Elba, Baroness Doreen Lawrence and the prime minister of Barbados are some of those interviewed for the latest issue.
Charles starts his editor's letter by quoting Bob Marley and says he's "always found Britain's black communities to be a great source of inspiration, not to mention their support of my efforts through The Prince's Trust".
"You have welcomed me into your communities with wonderful enthusiasm and I am grateful that you have always been candid with me about the issues you continually face and how I might help".
The special edition comes in the same week as the Duchess of Sussex said her life only became more focused on her race after she started dating Charles's son, Prince Harry.
Charles's edition of The Voice includes Baroness Lawrence, mother of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence, revealing a new partnership between her foundation and the Prince's Foundation to provide arts scholarships.
Idris Elba also tells of how a Prince's Trust grant at age 16 "opened doors that changed my life".
The prime minister of Barbados, Mia Amor Mottley, is also interviewed, while Baroness Floella Benjamin talks about getting involved in the Windrush Portraits project.
Prince Charles's letter to readers concludes by saying: "My hope is that we can consistently preserve and celebrate the histories of people of African, Caribbean and Asian heritage in Britain, and to expand this beyond Black History Month.
"Doing so will recognize the rich diversity of cultures and different minority ethnic groups that make this country so special - and in many ways unique.
"I pray it will also, in these turbulent times, serve to remind us of the important values of unity through diversity on which we pride ourselves as a society and which lie at the very heart of what we can achieve as a nation."
The special edition of The Voice is out to buy on 1 September.