The Earl of Wessex has been committed to the work of The Duke of Edinburgh's Award programme ever since he achieved his Gold Award in 1986. His duties as a United Kingdom and International Trustee mean that he travels widely in Britain and overseas.
The Duke of Edinburgh's Award was launched in the United Kingdom in 1956 by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh at the instigation of Kurt Hahn, the educational pioneer and founding headmaster of Gordonstoun School.
The Award is a programme of leisure-time activities available to all young people between the ages of 14 and 25. It provides a journey of personal discovery - an adventure challenging the whole individual, regardless of gender, colour, creed or ability.
Since 1956 it has given more than six million young people from over 130 countries the chance to set and achieve personal goals, and to learn about themselves and their community.
The programme is designed to encourage personal discovery, self-reliance, commitment, responsibility and service to the community. There are three separate attainment levels: Bronze, Silver and Gold.
A young person can choose to join the programme at any level, although there is a natural progression, each successive level demanding increased commitment and determination.
To fulfil each level, a young person must choose an activity within the four mandatory sections: Service, Adventurous Journey, Skills and Physical Recreation. At the Gold level there is an additional activity - Residential - which aims to broaden the experience through involvement with others in a residential setting. For many young people it might be the first time spent away from home.
In any year there are around 700,000 young people participating in the programme worldwide. Within four years of starting in the UK, the concept spread rapidly throughout the Commonwealth and beyond. While each country is permitted to use its own title, the generic world-wide brand is The International Award for Young People.
Prince Edward started his Gold Award while at Gordonstoun School and completed it at Cambridge University. His expedition component involved planning and executing, with a group, a 60-mile, four-day trek from Blair Atholl to Tomintoul through the Cairngorms. Like all Award expeditions, it was supervised but unaccompanied.
He completed his Service and Skills sections at school. For Service he helped run the Air Training Corps Squadron of which he was a member. For the Skills component, he was part of team trying to build a sailing hydrofoil to challenge a speed record.
The Residential element is unique to the Gold Award. Prince Edward was able to fulfil the requirements for this section by undertaking a flying course with the Air Training Corps at RAF Cranwell, during which he achieved his private pilot's licence.
He completed the Physical Recreation element when he took up real tennis at university.
In the summer of 1986 Prince Edward received his Gold Award from The Duke of Edinburgh at a St James's Palace presentation along with some 350 fellow Award achievers.
Prince Edward was invited to join the Board of Trustees of The Duke of Edinburgh's Award in the United Kingdom in 1988, a year after he had become a trustee of the recently formed International Foundation. Since that time Prince Edward has been actively involved in the Award programme in a number of capacities, especially fund raising.
In 1992 His Royal Highness was appointed Chairman of the Award's International Council, and overseas commitments increased. The Council is responsible for the operational development and management of the programme worldwide in more than 100 countries.
To date Prince Edward has visited over 25 countries taking part in the Award, and has assisted in numerous presentations of Gold Awards.
In connection with his role as Chairman of the International Council, Prince Edward established the International Special Projects Group in 1999. Based on the experience of the UK's Special Projects Group, this fund is designed to promote innovative ideas that develop the Award's awareness and delivery in challenging areas.
That means working for young people who are at risk, or are isolated from the general community through circumstance, language, geography or culture. Within a very short space of time International Special Projects is giving around 30,000 young people in 20 countries the opportunity to participate in the Award every year.
For more information on the Award in the UK, visit the official website of The Duke of Edinburgh's Award. For more information on the Award overseas, visit the official website of The International Award for Young People.
