Final Scottish ceremonies for the Duke of Edinburgh

There was a poignancy to the Duke of Edinburgh gold awards ceremony on Thursday.

As he prepares to bow out of public life, Prince Philip  presided over his final presentations north of the border.

For some young recipients, that fact made the day even more special.

Four former High School of Dundee pupils had a lengthy discussion with the Duke, who founded the awards scheme back in 1956.

They were among hundreds of young men and women from across the UK who converged on the palace for the final awards ceremonies.

In all, the awards develops more than 400,000 young people for life and work every year in the UK.

Since it was founded more than six million people have taken part and t is now being delivered in nearly 11,000 centres.

For full coverage and more photos, see Friday’s Courier