Past and present students of an independent school were invited to Buckingham Palace to pick up their Duke of Edinburgh Gold Awards.

A total of 17 Felsted School pupils attended the presentation event, where they were given their awards by HRH Earl of Wessex, Prince Edward.

The school is one of the most active DofE groups in the country, and 32 students received gold awards this year, contributing a total of 2,652 hours of voluntary work.

Before the awards ceremony, the teenagers were given a brief lesson in Royal protocol before being given the chance of chatting with Prince Edward himself.

Harry Raffan, an A-level student at Felsted School, said: "It was fantastic to be in such a beautiful setting, within touching distance of royalty and with a large group of Felstedians.

"Although the surroundings were a lot more civilised than our expeditions, we relished the opportunity to look back on the highs and lows of the various expeditions we had completed together."

Throughout the year, students gave up their own time to contribute to projects including Felsted's trip to Mumbai with charity Magic Bus and the Felsted Mission Night Shelter in London.

Headmaster Chris Townsend said: “I am delighted to be able to celebrate these awards, which reflect a great deal of hard work from all the young people.

"The Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award is a very highly respected award among universities and employers, it is a challenge to achieve, and a mark of real character and leadership.”