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.
