King Charles met members of the Assynt Mountain Rescue Team on Saturday, sharing his memories of surviving a deadly avalanche in 1988 that killed one of his closest friends. The meeting took place at the Castle of Mey in Scotland, where the monarch hosted 11 volunteers from the 40-strong team to mark their group's 50th anniversary.
Surviving the 1988 avalanche
The King spoke candidly about the incident, which occurred on March 10, 1988, while he was skiing off-piste above the Swiss resort of Klosters. The avalanche claimed the life of Major Hugh Lindsay, a former equerry to the late Queen Elizabeth, and injured another member of the party, Patti Palmer-Tomkinson.
Lindsay was swept 400 metres down the mountainside, while Palmer-Tomkinson suffered serious leg injuries. Charles and several others, including their guide, managed to ski to safety. After the avalanche, Charles, the guide, and a Swiss police officer raced back to help, digging with their bare hands to reach the victims. Lindsay was flown to a local hospital, where he was declared dead.
Team leader's account
Speaking after the meeting, team leader Ben Dyson told The Times: “[The King] spoke of the near miss he had in that avalanche in the context of the dangers mountains contain. He said: ‘it was a close thing’. Obviously after all these years it is still much in his memory but it has given him an insight to the valuable work we do and the dangers we face.”
Dyson added: “He was very appreciative of the work we do and said it was important to keep up with technological advancements — as we have done with the use of drones. But obviously his own experience has helped inform him of the work we and other mountain rescue teams carry out.”
Impact and aftermath
An eyewitness, Marie Griffiths, said she saw Charles being airlifted off the mountain. She recalled: “As far as I know he hadn’t been injured. He looked very distressed, somebody said he was crying, but he did walk to the helicopter so he looked uninjured.”
The trip was cut short, and Charles returned to his chalet before flying back to the UK. The disaster is said to have had a great impact on the King, who was enthralled while talking to the volunteers. Dyson said: “He also asked about the jobs we do — we are all volunteers who give up our time freely. His Majesty was in very good form and offered us a dram made locally as well as tea and coffee.”
