His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh met members of the Young Academy of Scotland (YAS) on his visit to the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) on Thursday 3rd July 2025.
The Duke of Edinburgh, was formally inducted as a Royal Honorary Fellow of the RSE, in recognition of his long-standing public service and commitment to creating opportunities for young people. The Duke is Patron of more than 70 charities and organisations across arts, sport and education.
During the visit to the RSE, His Royal Highness met YAS members and heard about the range of projects in which YAS members are involved. The occasion commenced with the introduction of YAS members Dr Afiya Holder and Dr Ale Aranceta-Garza to His Royal Highness, followed by a lunch reception with RSE Fellows. During the lunch, Dr Holder provided an overview of YAS’s mission, core activities, and international collaborations. She highlighted YAS’s recent participation in the ENYA/YASAS Annual General Meeting in Bern, Switzerland, where YAS members engaged in dialogue with other national academies on shared priorities and global challenges. Dr Holder also shared insights from her RSE-funded research project, Connecting the Dots: The Transformative Potential of African-Caribbean-Scottish Heritage Tourism, which explores how heritage, identity, and community development intersect to shape inclusive narratives and sustainable tourism. Dr Aranceta-Garza emphasised to The Duke the outstanding work YAS is doing in fostering collaboration across disciplines and sectors to make learning meaningful and impactful. She also highlighted our At-Risk Academics and Refugees (ARAR) programme, which integrates displaced talent into our society and supports joint projects that benefit both Scotland and the wider world—demonstrating how local action can drive global change.
Following the lunch, His Royal Highness met with other YAS members and heard about a range of current projects. Professor Gary Kerr, YAS member and co-chair, presented the ‘Scotland Cares’ project, where YAS members have been gathering stories of care from unpaid carers across the country. This session marked an excellent opportunity for YAS members to demonstrate the wider impact of their work outside of academic circles and the relevance of YAS work to the issues currently facing Scotland.
