Duke of Edinburgh award asks people to share their memories following Prince Philip’s death
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The Duke of Edinburgh award scheme is asking people to share their memories of taking part in the youth programme following the death of Prince Philip.
On Friday, Buckingham Palace announced that the duke had died at the age of 99, at home at Windsor Castle.
The duke was discharged from hospital, following a procedure for a pre-existing condition, just over three weeks ago.
Now the DofE charity, founded by the duke in 1956 to transform the lives of young people, has requested that participants share their memories of taking part.
On the DofE website it says: “To celebrate the duke’s inspiring impact on generations of young people, we’re asking anyone who’s been in the DofE across the decades to help us build a powerful collection of your DofE stories, and inspire the next generation of young people to begin their DofE journey.”
And the request isn’t just for those who have completed the Duke of Edinburgh award, which can be done at a bronze, silver or gold level – it is also asking anyone to come forward who is working towards the achievement.
“We’re asking you to share your DofE story. Tell us how doing DofE helped shape you. Tell us the challenges you tackled or the fears you overcame,” the website says.
“Tell us the talents you discovered, the mistakes you made or the friendships that still hold strong.”
The DofE memory sharing is open to anyone – participants, parents, carers, volunteer managers or leaders – and the form is to be submitted online.
Since the request launched over the weekend, people have already begun sharing their stories on Twitter.
Author and soldier Levison Wood said: “The @DofE Award gave me an insight into life beyond my own village as a teenager. It inspired me to travel, taught me the beauty of the outdoors, saved me from getting into serious trouble and got me into the British Army as an Officer. None of that possible without HRH.”
The @DofE Award gave me an insight into life beyond my own village as a teenager. It inspired me to travel, taught me the beauty of the outdoors, saved me from getting into serious trouble and got me into the British Army as an Officer. None of that possible without HRH.
— Levison Wood (@Levisonwood) April 9, 2021
Another said: “Just so all you lovely people know – I completed my Duke of Edinburgh gold award when I was a young lad in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire. I’ve been a big fan of the Duke ever since and can’t believe he’s gone. I’m not an obvious royalist – I respected him as a human being.”
Just so all you lovely people know - I completed my Duke of Edinburgh gold award when I was a young lad in Yamoussoukro, Côte d'Ivoire. I've been a big fan of the Duke ever since and can't believe he's gone. I'm not an obvious royalist - I respected him as a human being. 🙏🏾
— Tourre Bakahai (@TourreBakahai) April 10, 2021
And another said: “I worked hard towards the DofE Award but I was terrified of camping outside and dropped out. If I knew then what I know now, I would have faced my fears and understood that this is the idea of the award, to challenge yourself and succeed in that challenge.”
I worked hard towards the DofE Award but I was terrified of camping outside and dropped out. If I knew then what I know now, I would have faced my fears and understood that this is the idea of the award, to challenge yourself and succeed in that challenge.
— Elaine M (@morningstar246) April 10, 2021
When asked about the DofE scheme being his legacy, the duke said: “[My] legacy? No, no it’s got nothing to do with me. It’s there for people to use. I couldn’t care less. It’s relevant too because it’s part of the process of growing up.”
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