I’m sad to hear the passing of HRH Prince Philip who I first met back in 1960 when after previously winning the Silver Medal I was invited to Buckingham Palace to be presented from The Duke himself the coveted Duke Of Edinburgh’s Gold Medal for achievement.
The Duke of Edinburgh's Award (commonly abbreviated DofE)[1] is a youth awards programme founded in the United Kingdom in 1956 by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, that has since expanded to 144 nations.
The awards recognise adolescents and young adults for completing a series of self-improvement exercises modelled on Kurt Hahn's solutions to his "Six Declines of Modern Youth".
The Award was introduced to Antigua and Barbuda in the 1970s, but became dormant during the late 80s. In the 1990s it was resurrected by the Defence Force. The re-established National Award Authority became a member of the Association in 2000.
Fifty years later on the Royals 2010 visit to Canada The Queen and Duke stopped off at the St James’s Cathedral in Toronto for a service. As I had a commffest/media pass I was able to get close and capture this shot of him smiling as if he remembered me.
He would have been 100 years old this June. What a full life he’s had being the Queens consort, being the first president of the World Wildlife Fund, inspiring countless youth throughout the world, including me, with his Youth Award Scheme and many more causes he supported…He will be missed.
