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Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, arrived on Sunday (February 2) on a three-day visit, marking the first visit by a British royal since 2019.
A statement on the UK government website described his visit as focusing “on championing young people and promoting the benefits of non-formal education across the world.”
Prince Edward is the youngest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the former Duke of Edinburgh. On the eve of his 59th birthday in 2023, Prince Edward was granted the post by his brother Charles III. He is currently the 15th in the line of succession to the throne.
Prince Edward attended school in Berkshire and Scotland and briefly taught in New Zealand before obtaining his Bachelor of Arts degree from Cambridge University. He briefly served in the Royal Marines, and worked in theatre and television before taking up his royal duties.
The Duke has been actively involved with the prestigious Duke’s International Award as a trustee since 1988 for the UK award, and 2006 for the International Award. He has engaged in charitable activities in the arts, sports and the military.
As part of his visit, the Duke will travel to Mumbai and Delhi to promote the Duke’s International Award.
Formally the International Award for Young People (IAYP), it is described as the “world’s leading youth achievement award”. Instituted by Prince Philip in the UK in 1956, it is essentially an experiential learning programme targeted at youngsters between the ages of 14 and 24 and aims at honing their personal development. It evaluates the awardee’s aptitude for self-improvement in four categories – voluntary service, physical recreation, skills and adventurous journey.
The award is modelled on German educator, Kurt Hahn’s solutions to what he called “The Six Declines of Modern Youth”. Hahn helped institute the award. It aims to go beyond the classroom and all formal learning to help young people “ensure they have the skills to tackle life’s many challenges head on,” according to the award’s website.
In India, the award was instituted in 1962. Over 150,000 people have been awarded under this programme, which has over 325 institutional partners. The IAYP operates as an NGO in India, and as a full member of the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Association. It is implemented through licensed Youth Engaging in Society (‘YES’) Centres and Open Award Centres (OAC), mainly schools and educational institutions.
Like their international counterparts, the Indian awards recognise winners in three tiers, Bronze, Silver and Gold, based on the age and complexity of the projects undertaken by the awardee.
On Sunday, Prince Edward interacted with top education leaders in Mumbai and met the Indian IAYP award winners. He also visited the Wankhede Stadium to meet with the Indian and English cricket teams ahead of their fifth T20I on Sunday.
Over the next two days, he will be in Delhi, interacting with business leaders, philanthropists and senior government functionaries.
The Duke last visited India in 2018.
