The Duke of Edinburgh has told education ministers that exam results aren’t everything.
Prince Edward, speaking to over 100 ministers at a meeting in London, said qualfications don’t matter as much as real life experience.
The prince added that ”a formal qualification may or many not get you an interview but there is one thing I can guarantee you. When you get to the interview they will never ask you about your academic qualiifications.”
Instead, Edward said what mattered was what people had done and the experiences they had had.
The comments came at a meeting of the Education World Forum which took place in London earlier this week.
The Duke of Edinburgh was keen to put the emphasis on doing things and gaining knowledge of the world through experience. He said that without that experience ”you have got nothing to talk about” and he said learning in the real world is about ”generating that experience, to find out who you are, what your passion is, and what your purpose is.”
Along with his wife, Sophie, Edward is in the middle of the formal exams maelstrom at the moment. Their son, James, Earl of Wessex is sitting his A-Levels as he prepares to leave secondary education. The daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, is currently in the final year of her university course. She has been studying English at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.
Both Louise and James have been spoken about as potential working royals although no word on their future has been issued by either them, their parents or Buckingham Palace.
Lady Louise followed her father’s advice – she was recently seen getting hands on work experience at the Royal Windsor Horse Show.
Prince Edward was always keen to try different jobs when he was younger and spent some time building a career in the arts before becoming a full time working royal. He got three A-Levels, achieving a C in English and a D in both History and Politics. However, critics would argue his own path was different because of his royal background. That haul of a C and 2 D’s won him a place to read History at Cambridge where the usual entry criteria involves somewhat higher grades. He spent three years at Jesus College and graduated with a 2:2.
Prince Edward is now Patron of the Duke of Edinburgh Award and the International DofE Award and has been a passionate supporter of helping young people learn and develop through its scheme which encourage them to volunteer, take on expeditions and learn new skills.
This week, he has hosted over 9,000 DofE Award holders at special Buckigham Palace garden parties.
