Moving moment as Duke of Edinburgh presents special recognition to Lady Louise

The Duke of Edinburgh has presented Lady Louise with a special
award and looked every inch the proud father.

Prince Edward was the first to congratulate his daughter as she
received her Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award in the heart of the
Scottish capital.

Lady Louise, 22, was handed her framed certificate by her father
with her mum, Sophie, watching on.

Louise was among 600 Gold Award winners invited to Holyroodhouse
Palace, in the centre of Edinburgh, for a special celebration
marking their achievements. It’s also the 70th birthday year of the
Award scheme and special events have been taking place across 2026
in recognition.

Speaking at the event, the Duke of Edinburgh told them they
should all be very proud of their achievements, adding the should
all ”walk a few inches taller”.

The presentation of the Gold Award to Lady Louise came just a
day after she graduated from the University of St. Andrews in
Scotland with a degree in English. The Duke and Duchess of
Edinburgh were also on hand to see that special moment with Prince
Edward appearing to wear a tie very similar or the same as the one
he used when he carried his baby daughter out of hospital after her
birth in November 2003.

Prince Edward has heavily involved in the award scheme for forty
years, becoming a trustee and ambassador soon after achieving his
own gold award. The current Duke of Edinburgh been Patron of the
scheme since 2023, following the death of his father, Prince Philip
who had founded the award to give opportunities to young
people.

To achieve a Gold DofE, young people must spend at least 12
months volunteering for causes they care about as well as learning
and perfecting new skills and talents. They also have to plan and
take part in an expedition.

Olympic star, Bruce Mouat, was one of the guest speakers at the
Edinburgh celebration and he told those taking part that their
award ”isn’t just something that looks good on a CV; it shows
you’ve developed qualities that employers and universities
genuinely value. Through your volunteering, you’ve shown you’re
willing to give back to your community. Through learning a skill
and taking part in physical activity, you’ve demonstrated
commitment and discipline. And through your expedition, you’ve
proved you can work as part of a team, solve problems, adapt when
things don’t go to plan, and keep going when things get
tough.” 

Since it began, more that 8.8 million young people have started
a Duke of Edinburgh Award in the UK with over 34,000 taking up the
challenge in Scotland in the last year alone. The DofE estimates
they’ve given around 379,000 hours of volunteering alone.

Lady Louise has had a leading role in royal life over the past
week, with her graduation marking a major moment. She is now
expected to take a gap year but her next move will be closely
followed as there has long been speculation that she could become a
working member of the Royal Family.

Louise herself appears to relish a life away from the spotlight.
During her time at university, she has worked at a garden centre
and volunteered at events like the Royal Windsor Horse Show.
Although she is sometimes seen at big royal events, like Trooping
the Colour, she appears much more focused on her own aims and has
never participated in showpiece events like Royal Ascot.

However, she comes across as very confident and very calm and as
her parents take an ever increasing role in royal duties, the
question of whether their daughter will join them reamains to be
seen.