Prince Edward kicks off global Duke of Edinburgh Award tour in Cambridge

Royal honours for The Perse School students against the Earl of Wessex

Prince Edward took to the courts of Cambridge University Real Tennis Club to launch a new Duke of Edinburgh Award initiative.

The Earl of Wessex is aiming to play at every real tennis court in the world in 2018 as part of the Tennis Challenge, to raise funds that will allow more young people in the UK and abroad to get involved in the scheme.

Prince Edward invited pupils from around the area to play the sport and that included three students from The Perse School having spells on the court as his doubles partners.

Isabella Harvey, Jonny Markus and Oliver Brenton had the honour of playing a set of real tennis alongside him and speaking to him after the match.

Markus, who has been playing the sport for 18 months, said: “It was really exciting. I’d been looking forward to it ever since I heard about it and the Earl was a really good playing partner.”

Harvey, who did a sponsored swim in the sea to raise funds for the Tennis Challenge initiative, said: “It was amazing. I was quite nervous, but the Earl was really nice.”

The Perse DofE co-ordinator Sarah Brunt said she was delighted students from the school had been selected to take part in the launch event.

She said: “It’s really exciting. It’s a new era for the Duke of Edinburgh Awards with HRH The Earl of Wessex taking over the patronage and it’s really nice that Perse students have been invited to be part of the launch event.

“It also helps raise awareness of the DofE Awards and the many benefits it has to offer students who take part.

“It broadens their horizons in a variety of areas. It gives young people many opportunities to do things they wouldn’t normally think of doing at the same time as making a difference in their local community.”