The Earl of Wessex has been committed to the work of The Duke of Edinburgh's Award (DofE) ever since he achieved his Gold Award in 1986. His duties as a United Kingdom and International Trustee and Chairman of the International Council means that he travels widely in Britain and overseas to support and promote the Award.
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 balanced programme of activities available to all young people between the ages of 14-25 that develops the whole person in an environment of social interaction and team work.
Currently there are more than 140 countries running the DofE with over eight million participants since its inception.
In the UK alone, over 2,000,000 Awards have been achieved by young people since 1956 and more than 300,000 young people take part in the programme at any one time. Within four years of starting in the UK, the concept spread rapidly throughout the Commonwealth and beyond. Overseas the DofE is known as The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award 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 DofE 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 sections: Volunteering, Physical, Skills and Expedition. At the Gold level there is an additional activity - Residential.
View footage of The Earl of Wessex discussing The Duke of Edinburgh's Award:
Prince Edward began his own journey doing the DofE 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 DofE expeditions, it was supervised but unaccompanied.
His Royal Highness completed his Volunteering and Skills sections at school. For his Volunteering, 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.
Prince Edward was able to fulfil the requirements of the Residential element 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 section when he took up real tennis at university.
In the summer of 1986 Prince Edward received his Gold DofE from The Duke of Edinburgh at a St James's Palace presentation along with some 350 fellow 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.
In 1992 His Royal Highness was appointed Chairman of the DofE's International Council, and overseas commitments increased. The Council is the controlling body responsible for the operational development and management of the DofE Award worldwide.
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 DofE's awareness and delivery in challenging areas, working for young people who are at risk, or are isolated from the general community through circumstance, language, geography or culture.
For more information on the DofE in the UK, visit the official website of The Duke of Edinburgh's Award.
For more information o n the DofE overseas, visit the official website of The Duke of Edinburgh's Award International Foundation.
