Prince Philip was a true champion of the young
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award reflects his belief that our lives should be lived as fully as possible
Quite simply, Prince Philip was an inspiration. His life of service, courage and unstinting dedication was an example to me and to every one of our half a million Scouts here in the UK, and 50 million more worldwide.
In the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Prince Philip leaves a truly outstanding legacy to this nation. We in the Scouts are proud to help 3,700 young people gain theirs each year (including 500 DOE Gold), making us one of the UK’S biggest providers of this coveted award.
Over the years, we’ve helped tens of thousands of young people to gain their awards and learn skills for life along the way. That’s a lot of rain-drenched expeditions, miles travelled and communities left better off by the support of young people, beginning to make their mark on the world.
Everyone needs encouragement in their teenage years. The award scheme Prince Philip founded shows what incredible opportunities and friendship are waiting for them if they’re prepared to work hard and go the extra mile. Along with the Queen’s Scout Award, it’s the pinnacle of a young person’s achievement and time in the movement, and a true badge of honour.
That’s down to the tireless work of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award’s founder, Prince Philip, a man who embodied its values of endeavour, service and friendship.
The awards have now spread to over 144 countries and are a byword for excellence and achievement. Going on expeditions, planning trips and working together are such valuable lessons, and the skills learnt (especially of leadership, teamwork and resilience) and the memories made stay with young people for life.
The Duke’s own life was one of adventure in so many ways, from his bravery and the leadership he showed while in the Royal Navy during the Second World War, where he was mentioned in dispatches following the Battle of Cape Matapan, to his quiet support for countless expeditions. As someone who has summited Mount Everest myself, I am mindful of his generous support for the pioneering 1953 British Everest expedition. His love of the United Kingdom and his spirit of total service are unparalleled.
The Duke was most at home in the outdoors and led his life with the sort of bright optimism, sense of humour and enjoyment we foster in the Scouts. He had an instinct for what works and his open spirit of collaboration, tenacity and resilience meant that he was able to make things happen.
I’ve had the privilege to be beside the Duke as he presented awards to many young people and he had such a presence that the excitement and anticipation in the room was palpable, yet he would always put people at their ease with a quip or kind word.
He was interested in their lives and aspirations and spoke everyone’s language – he could relate to people, one to one.
So many of us have our own special memories of our encounters with him, and every time (in the words of the Scout Promise) he thought of others before himself. Not many people work so hard, so late into their nineties, and yet his enthusiasm for his work and support for young people was undimmed.
He always encouraged young people to live with eyes wide open – full of anticipation and excitement, which very much mirrored his own outlook. He wanted young people to go for it and to live life as fully as possible.
So much of his work was about bringing people together from so many different countries – to find common ground, to exchange ideas and work toward a better, more peaceful world, founded on the ideals of cooperation and respect. This is something we do in the Scout movement, which brings young people together from more than 150 countries.
As Scouts, we remember Prince Philip as a friend and a champion for young people.
We’ll treasure his memory and do our best to live up to the values he embodied so well.
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