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Prince Phillip joked with Fiona Bowman when he congratulated her on her achievement of the gold Duke of Edinburgh award.

Fiona, of Camps Road, Haverhill, met the Prince and celebrity Jill Halfpenny at St James Palace in London when she went to collect her certificate.

The 25-year-old said: "The prince was lovely, he cracked a few jokes and made me feel very welcome. He asked me where I had completed my expedition and said that he thought that it would be difficult to do that part in Suffolk."

Fiona spent four days in the Snowdon National Park as part of the scheme, but found teaching in a school in South Africa the most rewarding challenge.

She said: "It was a real eye opener, I really enjoyed my time there. The children either spoke in English or the local language Soweto. I mainly taught five and six-year-olds and they were a lot of fun."

After completing an English degree, Fiona now works as an intern in a PR company in London.

When back in Haverhill, she volunteers at the Haverhill Open Award Group where she has attended meetings since she was 13 years old.