I met Prince Philip when I collected my Gold award at St James’ Palace. He asked me about my expeditions and jokingly asked me how I survived working with beaver scouts for my volunteering section. We discussed how much I enjoyed achieving my Bronze, Silver and Gold awards. He was very kind and down-to-earth and you could tell he was very pleased with the achievements of the Gold award recipients on that day.

I am now a teacher and I ran the DofE award scheme at a school in Norfolk because I realised first hand how great the award scheme is for young people. I am now a DofE assessor and will continue to support young people in achieving their awards.

Prince Philip’s dedication to support young people and the environment began decades before it was popular. He was a pioneer and a charismatic, dedicated role model. He took a pro-active approach to his work for young people and for the environment, something which younger people could learn from in this age of boycott and protest.

Attached: A photo of me outside St James’ Palace with my award in 2013.