I am absolutely devastated and heartbroken for HM The Queen and the Royal Family on their loss of a beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. 

The news that HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh passed away on Friday, 9 April just a couple months short of his 100th birthday still shocks me. I had believed he would celebrate his 100th in June and even The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022. I had been so happy and relieved to hear that he could return home to rest by The Queen’s side last month. I prayed for their health and wisdom and healing within their family. 

But on Friday I cried for Her Majesty because I cannot imagine the immense pain she must feel of the loss of the love of her life and husband of 73 years. I know she will be reunited with him and her family one day but in the meantime, I pray for comfort, good health and strength for the days to come. God save The Queen.

Sending my condolences to those who were close to him and also to those of us who saw him as a surrogate grandfather (or father).

Rest in peace, Your Royal Highness Prince Philip

Prince Philip at the Garden Party at Holyrood in July 2017

I am thankful that I had the opportunity to speak with you, Sir, in February 2017 and to see you again at a closer distance at the Garden Party at Holyrood later in July. These are memories I will treasure forever of a man I saw as a surrogate Grandfather.

Thank you for establishing the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and opening it to youth in many countries around the world. I think fellow Award holders will agree that the DofE doesn’t end once we’ve received our pins or brooches. We continue to live well-rounded lives by finding new challenges, learning and giving back. Thank you for giving us that challenge to work on!

We miss you dearly.

A Call to Donate

In honour of the late Duke of Edinburgh, I encourage fellow DofE Award holders to consider donating to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, which celebrated its 65th anniversary this February, so that we may encourage and financially aid current and future participants to keep up the challenge during these even more challenging times. If you are based in the UK, you can donate to the general fund or the Resilience Fund for the underprivileged youth across the UK. For those in Canada, you can donate to WorldReady or on the dukeofed.org Donate page. Everywhere else, I’m sure you can find the Donate page for your country. 😉

If you are participating in the DofE, keep up the great work and know that we are so proud of what you’re accomplishing. 🙂 It will take you out of your comfort zone but you will come out stronger as a leader.