Prince Philip hands over important role to Prince Andrew – leaving open a new position for Princess Beatrice

Ever since retiring from public life back in 2017, Prince Philip has slowly handed over many of his royal patronages out to his children and grandchildren.

And yesterday it was announced that he would be giving over a particularly special one to his third child, Prince Andrew.

The Duke of York yesterday announced on his official social media channels that he would be taking over from his father as Patron of The Outward Bound Trust, an educational charity that uses the outdoors to help young people develop life skills.

The Duke of Edinburgh has been Patron of the charity for over 65 years, first taking on the role in 1953. So it’s clear that it is an important position and charity for Prince Philip – and something he is happy to trust Prince Andrew with going forward.

But actually, Andrew isn’t new to the charity. He himself has done plenty of work with them already, as he’s been the Chair of the Board of Trustees since 1999.

In fact, he also completed a pretty impressive feat for the charity back in 2012, in order to raise funds for their work.

The brave Duke abseiled down the Shard – the tallest building in London – scaling all 820ft of it with just a rope for assistance! It was a huge success, with the event raising £2.9 million in total.

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Today it has been announced that The Duke of York will become Patron of @outwardbounduk, taking over from The Duke of Edinburgh who held the role since 1953. HRH has supported the Trust for a number of years, having been Chair of the Board of Trustees since 1999, and hosting a number of events to promote and support The Trust over the years. In 2012, The Duke abseiled 820ft down the Shard (pictured) in support of the Trust – the total raised from the event was in excess of £2.9 million.

A post shared by The Duke of York (@hrhthedukeofyork) on Mar 12, 2019 at 3:43am PDT

Of his new appointment as Patron of The Outward Bound Trust, Prince Andrew admitted that he will head up his new role “with the wise council and guidance from my father”.

He said, “It is an enormous privilege to take up this appointment of Patron from my father, who has been a stalwart supporter of the Trust and its work since it was founded in 1941.

“I was interviewed by my father for a position on the board of Trustees before I was appointed and I knew from the outset his intent. I have thoroughly enjoyed the challenges and rewards of guiding the Trust these past few years and with the wise council and guidance from my father.”

But the Duke of York isn’t the only member of the family to have taken on a new role in the charity.

Princess Beatrice has stepped into the role her father left behind, and has been announced as a Trustee to the Board of the Outward Bound Trust.

So it’s clear that the York family will be championing this important cause for many years to come, in Prince Philip’s absence.