Prince Edward shared a special memory of his father, Prince
Philip, as he helped celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Duke of
Edinburgh Award.
The Prince was hosting a special garden party at Buckingham
Palace to mark seven decades and counting of the scheme which
supports young people to learn new skills and develop confidence
and capabilities when his story came to light.
Recalling his own Gold Award, Prince Edward, said that ”my
father would give the bunch of Award certificates to a presenter to
distribute, but this time he talked to our group, gave me my
certificate and then said, ‘Well, since I’ve given you that one,
I’ll give you the rest’ and handed the whole lot to me to hand
out!”
The memory was shared on an online scrapbook set up to mark the
anniversary. A photo of the event was also added, showing Edward
holding all the certificates after being given instructions by his
father.
The garden party welcomed over 2,000 Duke of Edinburgh Gold
Award holders to the Palace. A number of celebrations have been
held in the past days for the Award scheme with over 9,000 holders
enjoying the party.
And this was a garden party with a difference as the Palace
grounds were transformed into a festival style event with giant
deckchairs, activities and plenty of bunting.
The garden party started with a speech from Prince Edward who
told the DofE Award holders that they should be ”incredibly proud”
of all that they had achieved.
Ruth Marvel, CEO of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, said
”“It’s incredible to think that 70 years ago, 7,000 young
people started a DofE journey; fast forward to
2026 and this number shoots up to over 345,000. As young
people navigate an uncertain
time, we will continue to
champion opportunities that
build confidence, resilience and human
skills for all young people.”
Some famous faces who have become DofE Gold Award holders also
took part with TV presenter, Jake Humphrey, recalling how the
scheme helped him build confidence at a difficult time in his life.
He said ”We have to realise that the hardest moments in
our lives are often preparing us for the biggest moments in our
lives. And that, to me, is the spirit of The Duke of
Edinburgh’s Award.”
Award
To obtain a Gold DofE Award, young people have to spend at least
12 months gaining new skills as well as taking on an expedition and
residential, which they have to help plan as well. Volunteering is
also key to the award and participants have to give their time and
energy to a cause they are passionate about to obtain their
Gold.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award started in 1956 with at least 8.8
million young people in the UK starting one of the Awards. In the
last 12 months, there have been 345,000 new starts and Award scheme
participants have volunteered at least 6 million hours in their
local communities.
Evie Ball, 19, from Preston spoke about the difference it had
made to her, saying ”In my opinion the DofE is an equaliser.
No matter your background, it will encourage you to succeed.
Everyone here today has been on their own unique journey,
and that’s what makes this Award so special.”
As well as the celebratory garden parties, other events are
taking place to mark the 70th anniversary of the DofE scheme while
everyone who has taken part in an Award is invited to share their
memories on the digital scrapbook where Prince Edward
told his latest story about Prince Philip.
