The Prince of Wales has paid a heartfelt tribute to celebrated mountaineer and former Royal Marine Nirmal Purja, who died in an avalanche while leading an expedition in Pakistan.
Writing on social media, William said he was “truly saddened” by the loss of Mr Purja and the other climbers who died on Broad Peak, one of the world’s highest mountains.
In a personal message signed simply “W”, the Prince praised the Nepalese-born adventurer’s military service and extraordinary achievements in mountaineering.
“Nims served with distinction in the British Armed Forces before becoming one of the world’s greatest mountaineers, putting Nepalese climbers on the map,” the Prince wrote.
He continued: “His relentless pursuit of what seemed impossible, combined with his humility and selflessness, made him truly unique.”
The Prince concluded by offering his condolences to the families of all those who lost their lives.
Mr Purja, widely known as “Nims”, was leading an expedition on Broad Peak in northern Pakistan when an avalanche struck. His climbing partners, Pur Bahadur Gurung and Nima Sherpa, also died in the tragedy.
The deaths were confirmed by Elite Exped, the expedition company Mr Purja co-founded, following a search operation.
Before becoming one of the world’s most accomplished high-altitude climbers, Mr Purja spent 16 years serving in the British military, including a decade with the Special Boat Service. He also became the first Gurkha serving in the British Armed Forces to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
His remarkable mountaineering career earned international recognition in 2019 when he climbed all 14 of the world’s mountains above 8,000 metres in just 189 days, smashing the previous record. The achievement was later documented in the Netflix film 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible.
In 2022, Mr Purja was invested with an MBE by the late Queen Elizabeth II in recognition of his services to mountaineering.
Tributes have poured in from across the climbing community, with adventurer Bear Grylls remembering Mr Purja’s “unstoppable spirit”, while broadcaster Spencer Matthews also paid tribute to the man who helped search for the remains of his brother, Michael, on Mount Everest.
