Chingford teen shares DofE story with HRH The Duke of Edinburgh

Hosted by The Duke as Patron of the DofE charity, Louis, 19, joined thousands of young people and their loved ones from across the UK for a festival-style celebration at Buckingham Palace Garden on Monday, May 13.

The celebration was one of four taking place over two days at the Palace, recognising more than 8,000 young people who have shown extraordinary perseverance, creativity and resilience to complete their Gold DofE in schools, community organisations, youth groups and workplaces, all over the UK.

The celebration saw HRH The Duke of Edinburgh – who received his own Gold Award from his father Prince Philip at nearby St James’s Palace in 1986 – congratulate attendees in a speech from the Palace’s West Terrace.

Louis, who is a former Duke of Edinburgh Youth Ambassador, did his DofE with Trinity Catholic High School in Woodford. He was one of just a handful of people to personally speak to The Duke following his speech.

During his interaction with The Duke, Louis said: “I started my DofE at a really hard time in my life. It was really quite a transformative experience. I didn't really have much of a sense of identity or of things I was actually good at. Through the Award, I discovered that I was good at things. I was also a Youth Ambassador last year. It has been really transformative.”

After the event, Louis said that he found meeting The Duke “quite surreal”.

He said: “When I first started my DofE, my leader said that recipients of the Gold Award would be able to attend Buckingham Palace to collect it, and I would never have imagined being one of only a handful of recipients at the event to be presented to The Duke.”

DofE gave Louis hope when he felt he had none. Experiencing bullying in school meant he struggled to make new friends and had low self-esteem. He says DofE changed everything, introducing him to new passions, new friends and instilling a sense of self-belief. He joined St John’s Ambulance for his Volunteering section, started learning the guitar for his Skills section, and even discovered he had a hidden talent when he tried skiing for the first time at a dry ski slope for his Physical section.

In 2022 Louis became a UK Youth Ambassador to make sure other young people facing challenges understand that there is always hope.

He said: “DofE was a turning point for me, I started to feel more worthwhile. I came out of it as someone new.”

During the Gold Award celebration, Louis particularly enjoyed Tim Peake's speech, stating “I found his story inspiring and having seen so much footage of him in space, it was amazing to see him in real life.”

British astronaut Tim Peake delivered his speech from the West Terrace, recalling the skills that helped him deal with an emergency during a spacewalk with a fellow astronaut: “Tim Kopra had a leak in his space suit’s cooling system – something that could rapidly turn into a life-threatening drowning situation. Despite this, we kept calm. Communicating every step of the way with not just each other but Mission Control, we monitored the size of the water bubble and successfully returned to the station within half an hour. It was a testament to our teamwork, communication, and followership – the very same skills you’ve been honing through your Duke of Edinburgh's Award – that allowed us to keep safe, calm and collected.”

Tim added: “As you embark on the next chapter of your lives, I urge you to think optimistically and dream big – dream stratospheric – and never underestimate the power of your own potential. The achievements of reaching space may seem distant, but they serve as a reminder that we are only limited by the perceptions we hold of ourselves. Each of you has proven your resilience and determination through your Gold Award journey, and I have no doubt that you will continue to rise to the challenges that lie ahead.”

Buckingham Palace Garden had been transformed into a festival-style celebration for young people and their loved ones, with giant deckchairs, bunting and garden games and activities. Attendees had the chance to hear from famous DofE Award holders and other inspiring speakers, with content creator Fats Timbo, author and journalist Frank Gardner OBE, TV Chef Cherish Finden, firefighter Sabrina Cohen-Hatton, stylist Ellis Ranson, and McFly drummer Harry Judd and mum Emma speaking at stages throughout the garden.

A Gold DofE programme is a non-competitive personal challenge, open to all young people, which takes a minimum of 12 months to complete. Young people build their own programmes with activities in five sections – Physical, Skills, Volunteering, a five-day Residential and a four-day Expedition. 

Ruth Marvel, CEO of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, said: "The young people here today have achieved something exceptional, and it is wonderful to see them celebrating together, sharing their experiences and hearing their aspirations for the future. DofE is all about proving to yourself just what you are capable of, and the young people here today have showed the world that their potential is limitless. I can’t wait to see what they go on to do next.

“As a charity, we’re working hard to give as many young people as possible the chance to have a DofE experience and we're delighted to announce that last year 330,948 young people started a DofE Award - another record-breaking year. This growth in participation shows just how much appetite there is amongst young people for enrichment and development opportunities beyond formal education and, together with our partners, we are determined to keep extending our reach until every young person has access to these types of life-changing experiences."

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award charity recently announced record-breaking annual statistics, with 545,910 young people actively taking part in 2023/24, over 330,984 young people starting their Award – and participants contributing an astonishing 4.7 million hours of Volunteering, equivalent to over £24 million in paid working hours.

As young people navigate the after-effects of the pandemic, along with a mental health and cost-of-living crisis, access to opportunities for personal development beyond the classroom, like the DofE, are vital to help them have fun, discover new talents and passions, build their resilience and self-belief and give them skills employers value – like teamwork, problem-solving and leadership.