Princess Royal awards father’s medal to defence engineering students

The Princess Royal presented a medal in honour of her late father at the final parade at a defence college.

Welbeck Defence Sixth Form College in Loughborough saw the final 115 upper-sixth form students on parade for the last annual general inspection before the college closes.

The Duke of Edinburgh instigated the Prince Philip Medal in 1993 and it was awarded annually to the most outstanding student in the senior year.

Princess Anne spoke with students and their families of the final class under the Defence Technical Officer and Engineer Entry Scheme (DTOEES) before awarding the 27^th Prince Philip Medal to Jess Leat.

DTOOES is a university-sponsored programme for students wishing to join the Armed Forces or engineering and science branch of the Ministry Of Defence.

Jess said:  “It was an honour to be the last DTOEES student to receive this prestigious award, especially from HRH the Princess Royal. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Welbeck and wish to thank all the staff and students who made it all such good fun.

“I am looking forward to the next step of my career – going to Loughborough University, where I will be reading electronic and electrical engineering.”  

Major General Andrew Roe, Chair of the Board of Governors, said: “Excellence in STEM is critically important for Defence. As the pace of technological change is accelerating, having the best technical officers and civil servants is key to keeping our edge.

“As the last class at Welbeck, it was a privilege today to welcome HRH the Princess Royal to this final AGI and I hope one day to welcome you all to the Defence Academy as you continue your careers in Defence.”

The DTOEES programme will be replaced by the Defence STEM Undergraduate Sponsorship (DSUS) scheme, which will now be able to recruit from universities across the UK. The first students under DSUS will join in September 2022.