'It was a close thing': King Charles recalls 1988 avalanche
- By Sheeraz Soomro -
- Aug 09, 2026
King Charles has reflected on the terrifying 1988 avalanche that claimed the life of one of his closest friends, describing the incident as a “close thing” decades after the near-fatal accident.
The 77-year-old monarch made the remarks while meeting members of the Assynt Mountain Rescue Team at the Castle of Mey, the former home of the late Queen Mother near John O’Groats. Charles is currently spending part of his summer holiday in the area.
The King was hosting a special gathering to commemorate the rescue team’s 50th anniversary when the conversation turned to his own experience in the mountains. According to The Times, Charles recalled the 1988 avalanche and the narrow escape that left a lasting impression on him.
The avalanche, which occurred while Charles was skiing in Switzerland, killed Major Hugh Lindsay, one of the monarch’s close friends and a former equerry to the late Queen. Another member of the group, Patricia Palmer Tomkinson, was injured in the incident.
Speaking after the meeting, team leader Ben Dyson said Charles discussed the dangers associated with mountain activities and his personal experience of surviving the avalanche.
“He said ‘it was a close thing’,” Dyson recalled, adding that the experience remained clearly etched in the King’s memory and had given him a deeper understanding of the risks faced by mountain rescue teams.
Read more: King Charles issues statement following Princess Anne’s advice to Prince William
What happened during the 1988 avalanche?
The incident took place on March 10, 1988, when Charles, then Prince of Wales, was skiing off-piste above the Swiss resort of Klosters.
A sudden avalanche swept down the mountainside. Charles and several others in the group managed to reach safety, but Major Lindsay was carried approximately 400 metres down the slope and died.
King Charles and Princess Diana later accompanied Lindsay’s coffin back to Britain, where a guard of honour from his regiment received him. His funeral was held at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst on March 17, 1988, attended by members of the Royal Family and other prominent figures.
The tragedy was later portrayed in the fourth season of The Crown, although the dramatization was made against the wishes of Lindsay’s widow, Sarah.