Tonga’s 'Aiona Prescott (21) received the Queen’s Young Leaders Award last night at a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace in recognition of exceptional young people from across the Commonwealth who are making lasting change in their communities.

Also in attendance were HRH Prince Harry, as well as a former Prime Minister and Chairman of The Queen Elizabether Diamond Jubilee Trust, Sir John Major, David Beckham and Sir Lenny Henry.

Speaking at the ceremony, Prince Harry said “The Queen’s Young Leaders award recognises what you have achieved, not for yourselves, but for your communities, for your peers, and for those less fortunate.

“You have already been an inspiration to so many; but I hope this award will inspire you to go out and achieve even greater things in the future, empowered by the network of leaders you now sit amongst.”

David Beckham said “I am thrilled to be here once again to help Her Majesty the Queen in congratulating a new group of inspiring young leaders. I know those who won last year are continuing to build on the opportunities the award has provided them. I look forward to following the progress of the class of 2016 and have no doubt we will be seeing a lot this year’s exceptional group of young people as they continue to make lasting change in their communities.”

'Aiona was recognized for taking the lead in transforming the lives of others and making a lasting difference in her community through her work with young people tackling issues such as teenage pregnancy, early school leavers and gender-based violence.

The winners of the award have all been taking part in a series of high-level engagements across London and in Cambridge the past week.

This has included participating in a challenge set by global social networking company Twitter, meeting Senior Executives at BBC World News and visiting 10 Downing Street.

They also received leadership training at the University of Cambridge’s Institute of Continuing Education, met UK business leaders from Standard Chartered, AMV BBDO and PWC and heard from leaders from UK charities working to deliver life-changing projects.

This year’s Queen’s Young Leaders programme will end tomorrow with a visit to Marlborough House to meet the Commonwealth Secretary-General and High Commissioners, followed by an exclusive event at The Shard.

The search for the 2017 Queen’s Young Leaders Award Winners opens on Friday 24 June 2017. You can nominate someone who is doing exceptional work in their community at www.queensyoungleaders.com [2]

Watch 'Aiona's video for the Queen’s Young Leaders programme by clicking here [3].