Prince Philip: Engineers Make The World Better

The Duke of Edinburgh has described engineering as "making a greater positive difference to human life than almost any other human endeavour".

In an article in the New Scientist called "Make things better", Prince Philip discusses how engineering can transform lives.

The 93-year-old says: "Great engineers have a passion to improve life; a burning conviction that they can make life better for everyone.

"Engineers need to have a talent for invention and innovation, but what drives them is the conviction that they can find a better way to do things; a cheaper and more efficient solution to the problems of human existence on this planet of limited resources that we call Earth."

It comes ahead of the announcement next week of the winner of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering.

The £1m prize celebrates innovation that has been of global benefit to humanity.

Awarded every two years it also aims to raise the public profile of engineering and to inspire young people to become engineers.

In 2013 the first winners were five people who created the internet and the World Wide Web.

Assessing the value of engineering in his own words, the Duke says: "Engineering is not just a profession to be learned and practised as a way of making a living.

"It is one of the few ways in which human talent can be given the chance to improve, and frequently to transform, the comfort and prosperity of the human community.

"In fact, engineering has made a greater positive difference to human life than almost any other human endeavour."

The Duke of Edinburgh has long-standing links with engineering through his career in the Royal Navy.

In 1976 he helped establish the Fellowship of Engineering which later became known as the Royal Academy of Engineering.