The Duke of Edinburgh is set to embark on a five-day tour of the United States and Canada next week, with engagements spanning New York, Baltimore, Washington DC and Toronto from Monday to Friday.
The visit will serve as a celebration of the enduring transatlantic bond between Britain and America, centring on shared priorities in youth empowerment, opportunity, and the arts.
It marks the duke’s second trip to the US in as many years, having last travelled there in 2025.
Following the American leg, Prince Edward will continue to Canada on Friday, October 2, for a series of engagements connected to the Duke of Edinburgh International Award, the globally recognised youth achievement programme established more than seven decades ago by his late father, Prince Philip.
First, in New York, the duke will meet cultural sector figures at the Metropolitan Opera, where discussions will centre on how education, public programming, and advances in technology can broaden access to opportunity and equip young people with vital skills and confidence.
His Royal Highness will also take part in a roundtable hosted by BNY, addressing workforce challenges common to both nations and examining how businesses and educators might better collaborate to prepare the next generation for an economy increasingly shaped by innovation and technology.
The New York programme will conclude with the duke’s attendance at the Wren Gala, an event organised by the American Friends of St James’s Piccadilly.
Edward serves as Patron of the organisation.
Prince Edward has been called a ‘very good hugger’ after sharing one with a royal fan while in Canada | PAThe Baltimore leg of the tour will see the duke visit Western High School, the oldest all-girls state school in America, as it becomes a new partner institution for the Duke of Edinburgh International Award.
Students and staff will meet the duke as they prepare to launch their inaugural cohort on the Award USA programme.
The school is one of seven Baltimore secondary schools joining the International Award’s growing network, which now encompasses 78 partners operating across all 50 US states.
Prince Edward last visited America in April last year, when he spoke at a Independence Historical Trust event during a two-day visit to Philadelphia
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In Washington DC, the duke will tour Mount Vernon’s new education centre and lay a wreath at George Washington’s tomb, a gesture marking the America 250 anniversary celebrations.
Edward will then attend the King’s Birthday Party at the British Ambassador’s residence, gathering figures from the arts, heritage, and education worlds.
A Gold Award ceremony will also take place at the residence.
After concluding his American engagements, the duke will travel to Toronto to visit the Lassonde Art Trail.
Edward’s upcoming overseas tour comes just days after his wife, Sohie, Duchess of Edinburgh, returned from an intensive five-day tour of Zambia, where she danced with trachoma survivors
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PAHe will then attend an Experiential Education Gathering at Queen’s Park, where he is expected to meet educators, Award providers, and young participants involved with the Duke of Edinburgh International Award Canada.
The Canadian visit comes in the wake of Ontario’s Ministry of Education announcing plans to widen access to the Award throughout schools in the province.
Edward’s upcoming overseas tour also comes just days after his wife, Sohie, Duchess of Edinburgh, returned from an intensive five-day tour of Zambia, where she danced with trachoma survivors, visited Victoria Falls and received a textured ceramic vessel, described as a “dialogue dynamic” pot.
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