Sask. woman 'beyond thrilled' to receive award from royal couple

It’s an experience a Saskatchewan woman calls “surreal”.

Britney Favreau got to shake the hands of the Earl and Countess of Wessex – Prince Edward and his wife Sophie – when receiving the Duke of Edinburgh’s award at Government House Thursday.

“The individual things I have done, volunteering and things like that, meant so much to me, and then to receive that recognition of the things that I have done was a really cool experience,” explained Favreau in an interview with News Talk Radio.

The award recognizes those between the ages of 14 and 24. To be considered, one must meet a list of criteria which includes service, skills, physical recreation, and adventurous journey.

Favreau was among 11 people from Saskatchewan to be presented the award.

Arguably, the thrill of receiving such a prestigious award was matched by the thrill of getting to meet the prince and his wife.

“I was beyond excited. I could barely hold it together,” said Favreau, who describes Prince Edward as someone who you could easily connect with.

“You could tell he was proud of all of us in the way that he was talking about the award and all our achievements.”

For Favreau, those achievements include motivational speaking at high schools through an organization called Live Different. She also took a seven-day trip to Mexico, which counted as her adventurous journey.

“It was really cool to talk to him about that and he just seemed really interested and intrigued and I had his whole attention for those couple minutes and it was really cool.”

Favreau’s parents were in attendance for the ceremony making the moment even more special. 

As for what she plans to do with the medal, there is a good chance it will be framed.