Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, is set to visit Baltimore's Western High School on September 30, where he'll help mark seven city high schools joining a Baltimore cohort of his namesake youth-development program. Western, a public all-girls school founded in 1844, is the oldest all-girls public high school in the country and the third-oldest public school in Maryland.
The visit will celebrate seven Baltimore high schools joining a cohort of the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award, according to the Baltimore Banner. The award is a global youth development program for people ages 14 to 24, built around three progressive levels — Bronze, Silver and Gold — that push participants to develop new skills, get physically active, explore the outdoors and volunteer in their communities, per usaward.org. Students who complete the program earn an international credential they can use for college admissions and job applications, the Banner reports.
Western Principal Brittany Horne's school is preparing a student-centered experience for the royal visitor, according to the same account. Baltimore City Public Schools CEO Jermaine Dawson, who previously worked in Philadelphia's school district and brought the award program there, helped steer it to Baltimore as well.
A Program Rooted in Prince Philip's Vision
The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award traces back to 1956, when it was founded by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, alongside German educationalist Kurt Hahn and Lord Hunt, according to usaward.org. Nearly seven decades later, the program is operating in more than 130 countries and territories, per royal.uk, and nearly half a million young people are actively participating in its U.K. version alone. Royal.uk notes the award is designed to help young people build confidence and develop key life skills, not just check off activity requirements.
In the United States, the program operates as an independent 501(c)(3) charity established in 2016 and based in Chicago, according to usaward.org. That organization has already staged similar recognition ceremonies stateside — the site describes a Washington, D.C. event where Prince Edward presented Gold and Silver awards to 22 young Americans representing 35 states, who together logged more than 5,870 hours of volunteer service.
Prince Edward's Personal Ties to the Award
Prince Edward earned his own Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award in 1986, according to royal.uk, and has chaired the trustees of the award's international foundation since 2015. He is the youngest child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, and King Charles III conferred the Dukedom of Edinburgh on his younger brother on March 10, 2023, per the same source.
The Baltimore stop won't be Prince Edward's first in the city. He previously visited in 2011 to meet students at the Crossroads School in Fells Point, the Banner notes, giving this month's return to Western High School a sense of continuity with his long-running interest in the region's youth programs.
