The Duke of Edinburgh presenting Prince Edward with his Gold Award 1986

In 1986, Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh’s youngest son, attained his Gold Award which he started while at Gordonstoun School and finished while at Cambridge University. The Duke of Edinburgh presented the award to Prince Edward along with 350 other Gold Award recipients at St James’s Palace. In order to achieve the award Prince Edward planned and executed a 60-mile, four-day trek from Blair Atholl to Tomintoul through the Cairngorms. His service section was completed at School by helping to run the Air Training Corps Squadron, and for the skills section he was part of a team with a project to build a sailing hydrofoil to challenge a speed record. He fulfilled the residential section unique to the Gold Award by undertaking a flying course with the Air Training Corps at RAF Cranwell, during which he gained his private pilot’s licence. He completed the Physical Recreation element when he took up real tennis at university.