Prince Philip marks 50th anniversary of Duke of Edinburgh Awards

Oct 21, 2005, 16:01 GMT

Britain's Prince Philip joined 50 Duke of Edinburgh Award Holders at Buckingham Palace (19.10.05) at a reception to mark the 50th anniversary of the programme next year.

One award-holder was invited from every year since the prince launched the programme in 1956.

Among them was Katherine Jenkins the classical singer, television presenter Alice Beer and David Hempleman-Adams, the polar explorer and adventurer. The anniversary events will continue throughout the UK with the highlight being a two-day concert at Windsor Great Park.

The prince stressed that in his opinion the scheme was as relevant to young people today as it was 50 years ago.

He said: "The point is that young people are the same as they always were. "The conditions in which they are living have changed but the principle of learning what goes on in the world is just the same.

Mr Hempleman-Adams, executive chairman of the anniversary celebrations, insisted that attaining his gold award had changed his life.

He said: "I owe everything I've got to the award. I got into adventuring through the award."

The Duke of Edinburgh award is a certificate of personal achievement that can be obtained by anyone aged from 14 to 25.

More than five million young people have participated in the scheme worldwide since its launch in 1956.

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