Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, has made a rare video appearance to promote World Cleanup Day, just days after Buckingham Palace mistakenly used his former title in the Court Circular.
Video Message for World Cleanup Day
In the video, shared in honour of The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award, the 62-year-old royal called on the "award family" to participate in World Cleanup Day, held annually on September 20. The initiative encourages volunteers to remove litter and improve local environments.
Edward said: "This is an invitation to the whole award family, past, present and future to pick a project and make a difference in your community. All I am asking you to do is click on the link and spread the word. The more people that we manage to get involved in this, the bigger the impact, and perhaps, we'll have a cleaner world at the end of it. And, who knows, perhaps, more people will know about the award."
The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award and the UK-based Duke of Edinburgh's Award are celebrating their 70th anniversary this year, having been founded in 1956 by Prince Philip.
Royal Fans React
Fans expressed delight at hearing Edward's voice. One commented on X: "How lovely to hear his voice as we don’t hear it very often. Such a great idea too!" Another added: "Fantastic idea."
Palace Blunder
The video comes days after Buckingham Palace made an error in the Court Circular, the official diary of royal engagements. The entry stated: "The Earl of Wessex, Colonel, Scots Guards, this morning attended the Regimental Gathering at Somme Barracks, Catterick Garrison."
Edward became the Duke of Edinburgh in March 2023, with his previous title of Earl of Wessex passing to his 18-year-old son, James. The mistake was spotted by royal fans, who noted that the title now belongs to James, not Edward.
