Prince William 'Truly Saddened' — And It's Connected to Something Kate Middleton Holds Dear
Prince William recently took to social media to speak on a tragedy that must have struck a chord with Kate Middleton.
For the past few days, the world has been gripped by the sad news of British-Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja and his team’s tragic death in an avalanche. Purja, aka Nims Dai, had also previously served the British Armed Forces. The tragedy must certainly have reached Prince William and Kate Middleton, as the former expressed his grief over the incident on Sunday.
The Prince of Wales took to X to convey how 'saddened' he was and offer condolences to the families of the victims. “I was truly saddened to hear of the tragic death of Nirmal Purja and those who lost their lives in the avalanche on Broad Peak. Nims served with distinction in the British Armed Forces before becoming one of the world’s greatest mountaineers, putting Nepalese climbers on the map. His relentless pursuit of what seemed impossible, combined with his humility and selflessness, made him truly unique. My thoughts are with his family and the families of all those who died,” he wrote.
Last week, Purja was leading a 10-member team to summit the world’s 12th-highest mountain, Broad Peak, in Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan when an avalanche struck at around midday on Thursday. Rescuers had launched a search operation for the missing climbers despite the harsh weather conditions. His body was later found about 5,700m up the mountain. According to reports, none of the climbers from the expedition survived the calamity.
The Princess of Wales is an avid trekker and grew up outdoors. She had recently completed the Three Peaks Challenge in 24 hours after recovering from cancer. The 44-year-old had undertaken the arduous task to raise awareness for the Royal Marsden Hospital. So, certainly, mountains are close to the royal’s heart. The passing of such a legendary mountaineer must have surely struck a chord with her.
In 2019, Purja summited all eight-thousanders in just six months, creating a record at the time for being the fastest to do so. An eight-thousander is a mountain that rises 8,000m above sea level, and there are only 14 such mountains in the world. The record was broken in 2023 by Norwegian mountaineer Kristin Harila, who summited all 14 peaks in three months and one day. In 2018, Purja received an MBE from the late Queen Elizabeth for his mountaineering achievements.
Initially, the skilled mountaineer had not planned on climbing Broad Peak in July, as he wrote in his final X post last week, “Initially, the plan was to climb just G2. But just before setting off for Pakistan, I ran the numbers on my 8000m summits. That’s when it hit me: if I tick off Broad Peak whilst I’m here, only one remains “Cho Oyu.” Then I become the FIRST person in history to climb all 14 eight-thousanders twice. Without oxygen.”
