During her latest engagement, The Princess Royal visited Gordonstoun, where there were multiple moments of remembrance of her late father, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.
Gordonstoun, near Elgin, has educated three generations of British royalty, including Prince Philip and Prince Charles. Unlike her brothers, Anne was unable to attend the school because, at the time, it was a males-only school.
Gordonstoun played a key role in developing the Prince’s love for sailing, and it eventually set him on the path to creating the Duke of Edinburgh Awards. Founded in 1956, the award recognises adolescents and young adults for completing a series of self-improvement exercises modelled and based on Kurt Hahn’s solutions to his ‘Six Declines of Modern Youth.’
During her visit, Her Royal Highness unveiled a plaque dedicated to her father and the awards. As the school Pipe Band played for The Princess, Pipe Major, Scott Oliphant carried the Duke of Edinburgh’s Coat of Arms. The Coat of Arms was awarded to the school by the Duke and was presented to Her Majesty at the Royal Braemar Gathering in 2019.
Originally known as a Moray Badge, the Duke was one of the first students to achieve the honour. In 1956, the name was changed to the Duke of Edinburgh Award and expanded worldwide. As part of The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, the Badge has been revived for 2021-22, with more than 5,500 students signing up for the Badge. Gordonstoun currently has around 165 students participating in the Duke of Edinburgh Awards and more than 600 involved in the Moray Badge this year.
Principal Lisa Kerr led the Princess around on her visit and hosted a very private memorial for her father. Kerr said of the private moment: “The Princess Royal was able to see some of the memorials that Gordonstoun had put in place for her father, who was the school’s tenth pupil.
“Her Royal Highness spent time speaking to two pupils who played an important role in the memorial service at Hopeman Harbour, including the piper who had played and the student who had laid the wreath at sea.”
The Duke of Edinburgh passed away at the age of 99 on 9 April 2021.
