The Duke of Edinburgh Award is one of the most popular charity programmes for young people. Tasked with completing a range of activities, from helping the community to developing new skills, people aged 14 to 24 can work towards a gold, silver or bronze award.
It was pioneered by the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Phillip during the 1950s and since then, hundreds of thousands of young people have taken part. But with the death of the late Prince and recently the Queen, many are asking what happens to the award now.
The Duke of Edinburgh Awards are likely to continue in the same manner as previously as the programme has become an officially recognised charity. The decision on who will inherit the title of the Duke of Edinburgh lies with the new king after he inherited it from his father.
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Philip acted as Duke of Edinburgh from 1947 until his death in 2021 at the age of 99. It is believed that Phillip wanted his youngest son, Edward to inherit the title when Charles became king.
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, is the youngest child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip. He is currently 13th in the line of succession to the British throne.
Prince Edward studied history at the University of Cambridge and worked as a theatre production assistant. Since 2002 Edward has worked full-time for the royal family and works with over 70 different charities and organisations.
The Earl has played a key role in the continuing development of the Duke of Edinburgh award, which last year launched a new strategy aimed at helping more than one million young people the chance to participate in the programme. It is widely believed that the Earl will become the charity's next patron, though this has yet to be confirmed.
Read more on the Royal family here
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