The legacy of the Duke of Edinburgh Award
As the nation mourns the death of Prince Philip, we take a look at one of his legacies
As the nation mourns Prince Philip, we take a look at one of his most successful legacies: the Duke of Edinburgh Award.
Over its 65 year history, the award has helped millions of young people in over 140 countries to develop skills to help them prepare for adulthood, and has been lauded as improving the lives of generations.
Having once been described as "a 'do-it-yourself' growing up kit" by the Duke of Edinburgh himself, the award requires participants to show commitment to volunteering, skill development and physical exercise, while also working in teams to complete exhibitions.
Prince Philip's own son, the Earl of Wessex, said that the scheme taught him that "the more you put into something, the more you get out".
So, why did the Duke of Edinburgh start this influential award and how is it impacting young people today?
Inspiration for the Duke of Edinburgh Award
The idea for the award was first suggested to the Duke of Edinburgh in 1954 by his former headmaster at Gordonstoun school.
At the time, young people would leave school at 15 and have three years before embarking on their national service.
The award, which was at first aimed at young men, was therefore viewed as a means of ensuring these boys used this time to develop skills, interests and self confidence to help support them in the future.
The pilot of the scheme launched in February 1956 and was initially composed of four parts: Rescue and Public Service, Expeditions, Pursuits and Projects, and fitness.
Success of the DofE scheme
It was immediately successful, with over 7,000 boys enrolling in the first year, and around 1,000 awards completed.
Following the success of the boys award, one for girls became available in 1957. The two later merged in 1980, creating one award aimed at all young people aged 14-24.
This model is the award that people in more than 140 countries complete today.
Each award has an expedition to complete which consists of planning and navigating an outdoor pursuit trip with camping in between days. Exhibitions get longer as you progress through the stages of each award.
People who complete the top level of the award, the gold award, are invited to one of three Royal residences to receive their certificates. These award ceremonies are always attended by a member of the Royal family.
With millions of participants, the scheme has received lots of praise through the years and continues to strive towards helping "generations to successfully navigate adult life."
The life of Prince Philip
Prince Philip was born in 1921
Prince Philip of Greece was born 10 June 1921 in Corfu to Prince Andrew of Greece and Princess Alice of Battenberg.
Prince Philip attended school in Scotland
The Prince was one of the first pupils at Gordonstoun boarding school in Moray, Scotland, attending from 1933-1939. He was the first of three generations of royals to attend the school, with Prince Charles boarding in the 1960s, and Princess Anne's children enrolling in the 1990s.
The engagement of Prince Philip and Princess Elizabeth
Prince Philip's engagement to Princess Elizabeth was announced on 9 July 1946, after he asked permission from her father, King George VI. In order to marry into the British Royal family, Prince Philip became a British citizen, and renounced his Greek title in favour of Mountbatten, the anglicised version of his mother's name. He also agreed not to invite his sisters to the wedding, as they were all married to Germans and tensions were still high following the war.
The Royal Wedding
Prince Philip married Princess Elizabeth on 20 November 1947 in Westminster Abbey. He received new titles, including the Duke of Edinburgh, for which he is best known, and his Royal Highness. It is estimated around 200 million people tuned into the BBC radio broadcast of the wedding.
First time father
In 1948, Prince Philip became a father for the first time when Princess Elizabeth gave birth to Prince Charles. Princess Anne was born two years later.
Consort to the monarch
King George VI died 6 February 1952, making his oldest daughter Princess Elizabeth, Queen. This made the Duke of Edinburgh consort to Queen Elizabeth II. The coronation took place on 2 June 1953 and was an important feature in making television a mainstream medium, with over 20 million people tuning in to watch.
The Duke of Edinburgh award
In 1956, Prince Philip launched the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme, which aims to prepare young people for adult life by developing essential skills, confidence and resilience. Today, hundreds of thousands of young people complete the award every year across 144 nations.
Meeting JFK
In 1961, a banquet was held at Buckingham Palace in honour of American President John F Kennedy. This was the President's last visit to Buckingham Palace before he was assassinated two years later. Prince Philip attended his funeral.
A family of six
In 1960 Prince Andrew was born, followed by Prince Edward in 1964. This completed the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh's immediate family.
Royal Family documentary
In 1969, a television documentary entitled 'Royal Family' aired to an audience of over 30 million in the UK, before being sold worldwide, achieving over 350 million views. However, the Queen had the documentary banned and it has not been shown on TV in the UK since 1977. The documentary offered insight into the lives of the Queen and her family in an attempt to revive public interest in the Royals.
The wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer
Prince Philip's oldest son, Prince Charles, married 19-year-old Lady Diana Spencer on 29 July 1981. Almost 1 billion viewers tuned in across 74 countries to watch the ceremony at St Paul's Cathedral. The wedding was considered hugely important because whoever Prince Charles married would one day become Queen.
Diana, Princess of Wales' funeral
The world was shook when Diana, Princess of Wales died suddenly in a car accident in August 1997. Hundreds of thousands of well wishers lined the streets on the day of her funeral, which saw Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Diana's brother accompany Princes William and Harry in walking behind the funeral car.
Diamond wedding anniversary
In 2007, the Queen and Prince Philip celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary- 60 years of marriage! They have since made it to their platinum anniversary, celebrating in 2017.
A family man
Prince Philip has eight grandchildren, including heir to the throne Prince William. He also has nine great-grandchildren and counting, with two more on the way in 2021.
Tipping his hat to a lifetime of service
At the age of 96, Prince Philip carried out his final solo public engagement in August 2017, before tipping his hat in acknowledgement of a lifetime of service.
Prince Philip dies aged 99
Prince Philip passed away at the age of 99 on the 9th April 2021. The Duke's funeral took place on 17 April 2021 in St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.
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