Brother of King Charles III to visit the Czech Republic next week

Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh and the brother of newly-crowned British King Charles III, is scheduled to visit the Czech Republic next week at the invitation of Jiří Zrúst, chairman of the board of directors of the Czech branch of the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award (DofE).

The youngest of the late Queen Elizabeth II's four descendants, Prince Edward will arrive in Prague by train from Germany on Tuesday afternoon for a three-day visit. Originally planned for last September, Prince Edward's visit was postponed due to the passing of his mother.

While the Prince's itinerary primarily revolves around the DofE project, he will also visit various locations, including the Central Bohemian village of Vestec, a Prague youth center, and the National Monument to the Heroes of the Heydrich Terror on Prague's Resslová Street.

Prince Edward inherited the title of Duke of Edinburgh from his late father, Prince Philip, who established the DofE program in 1956. Operating in the Czech Republic since 1995, the program attracts over 7,000 Czech students aged 14 to 24 each year. Participants set personal goals in volunteering, physical activities, and skill development, which they strive to achieve over six, 12, or 18 months.

"The DofE program is globally successful, fostering personal growth among young individuals. It enhances their determination, perseverance, sense of responsibility, and mental well-being," Tomáš Vokáč, the executive director of Czech DofE, told local media in advance of Prince Edward's upcoming visit.

"We perceive [Prince Edward's] visit as recognition not only for program participants but also for the teachers who dedicate their spare time to the DofE. It also acknowledges the determination of our directors, supporters, and partners, who, like us, believe in the power of informal education and learning."

After his arrival at the main railway station in Prague on Tuesday afternoon, the Duke will meet the students and receive a warm welcome from Vokáč and the British Ambassador to the Czech Republic, Matthew Field.

On Wednesday afternoon, Prince Edward will present gold medals to 42 Czechs who have successfully completed the DofE Gold program at the Czech Senate in Prague.

In Vestec, a village near Prague with a population of approximately 3,000, Edward will plant a tree at Prince Philip Avenue, established last year to commemorate the 100th birthday of his father and Elizabeth II's late husband.

On Thursday, the prince will visit a youth center in Prague 4 before concluding his visit to the Czech Republic with a wreath-laying ceremony at the National Monument to the Heroes of the Heydrich Terror at the Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius on Resslová Street. The Czechoslovak paratroopers who trained in Britain and assassinated Nazi official Reinhard Heydrich made their final stand in the church in 1942.

In addition to his title of Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Edward also holds the titles of Earl of Forfar and Earl of Wessex, and is currently thirteenth in line to the royal throne. He married Sophie Rhys-Jones in 1999, with whom he has two children.