Britain's Prince Philip attended his 500th Duke of Edinburgh's gold award ceremony on Thursday (10.10.13).
The 92-year-old star celebrated a royal landmark as he presented 366 young people with the highest prize in the youth development programme, which he founded in 1956, during a special presentation at St James' Palace in London.
Philip has given over 200,000 youngsters the gold award out of 5 million participants in the scheme, which aims to give teenagers essential life skills by undertaking challenging tasks.
The duke's youngest son, Prince Edward - who holds the gold award himself - paid tribute to his father, saying: "For all my father's modesty and self-effacement, the Duke of Edinburgh's Award is a phenomenal success. It has stood the test of time: being more popular, relevant and valuable than ever before, not just in Great Britain, but all over the world.
"The fact that he has presented so many gold awards personally, and continues to do so, demonstrates his commitment and his on-going interest in young people's achievements from whatever background or circumstance as well as helping them to make a success in their lives."
Philip showed no signs of his recent illness and was on good form during the event, cracking jokes with the youngsters and telling them the hardships of their expeditions were "good for the soul", according to the Daily Express newspaper.
Peter Westgarth, chief executive of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, commented: "Prince Philip's tireless dedication to the development of young people and to the DofE charity is amazing, we are honoured to be able to mark this special occasion and reflect upon the impact the Duke of Edinburgh's Award has had upon young people's lives for over 50 years."
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