fbpx Official statement on the death of His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh - London Youth

09 April 2021

It is with great sadness that we learn of the death of His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh. Our deepest sympathies are with Her Majesty The Queen and the Royal Family. 

HRH Prince Philip became the Patron of London Youth in 1947. We were honoured to be the very first of the many charitable causes to which Prince Philip devoted his time and support. During his 74 years of patronage, Prince Philip was a tireless advocate of positive opportunities for young people, visiting hundreds of our member youth organisations and clubs, meeting with young people and youth workers to listen to their experiences. 

We marked the joint milestone of Prince Philip’s 70th year as our patron and London Youth’s 130th anniversary with an event at Buckingham Palace, hosted by Prince Philip. We brought together young people, youth workers and supporters from across London to celebrate and recognise the wonderful work that happens every day in youth organisations across the capital. At that event, Prince Philip was awarded a medal in recognition of his service to young Londoners. 

At our London Youth Awards 2019, we were delighted to present the inaugural Prince Philip Award to the Jack Petchey Foundation in recognition of their dedication, investment and ongoing commitment to supporting London’s voluntary youth sector. London Funders were the worthy winners of the 2020 Prince Philip Award in recognition of the vital role they played in uniting London’s funding community when the pandemic hit in 2020. 

On behalf of London Youth and all our members, we thank Prince Philip for his generous support over the decades. 

Rosemary Watt-Wyness, Chief Executive of London Youth said: 

“We are all extremely saddened by the death of His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh. We remain eternally grateful for all the support he gave to London Youth as our patron for over seven decades. Prince Philip’s many visits to our member youth organisations remain etched within the memories of so many. Prince Philip’s championing of young people and youth work in London has been truly inspiring and will not be forgotten.” 

Sir Ken Olisa, President of London Youth and Her Majesty the Queen’s Lord-Lieutenant for Greater London said: 

“Although London is one of the world’s most prosperous cities, its wealth and advantages are far from equally distributed. His Royal Highness’ deep personal engagement with our work shone a light on the needs of those from tough reality backgrounds. In so doing, he helped to ensure that generations of young people were inspired to improve their life chances and so play a fulfilling role as citizens. He will be missed. 

The Duke asked his son, His Royal Highness The Earl of Wessex to take over the patronage of London Youth in 2020. 

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