ROYAL FAMILY NEWSKing Charles Recalls Harrowing Near-Death Experience During 1988 Avalanche That Killed Pal: 'It Was a Close Thing'
King Charles experienced a traumatic skiing accident in 1988.
Aug. 10 2026, Published 3:37 p.m. ET
King Charles recently looked back on a tragic moment when he recalled a near-death experience he had while skiing in Europe in 1988.
The monarch, 77, hosted a bash for members of the Assynt Mountain Rescue Team at the Castle of Mey in Scotland earlier this month where he opened up about the traumatic event.
King Charles recalled his harrowing experience during an event he hosted for the Assynt Mountain Rescue Team recently.
“[The King] spoke of the near miss he had in that avalanche in the context of the dangers mountains contain,” team leader Ben Dyson told The Times recently about the sovereign's event.
“He said ‘it was a close thing.' Obviously after all these years it is still much in his memory, but it had given him an insight [in]to the valuable work we do and the dangers we face," Dyson recalled, adding Charles was “very appreciative” of the work mountain rescue teams take on.
King Charles Collided With an Avalanche on March 10, 1988
Princess Diana went with King Charles on the Swiss ski trip, however, she was not present during the accident.
On March 10, 1988, Charles was skiing off-piste on the Gotschnagrat mountain above the Klosters resort in Switzerland when an avalanche hit.
The scary incident killed his close friend, Major Hugh Lindsay, who was the late Queen Elizabeth‘s former equerry. Charles' pal, Patti Palmer-Tomkinson, was also injured in the accident.
At the time, Charles and the other members of his group found safety and returned with Swiss police to dig out the victims who were still stuck in the snow.
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Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson Were Also on the Same Ski Trip
King Charles friend, Major Hugh Lindsay, died during the tragic event in 1988.
Eyewitness Marie Griffiths told the BBC at the time that Charles was unharmed as he was being airlifted out of the area, saying: “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.”
Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson were also on the ski trip, however, they were staying at their chalet when the accident occurred.
Netflix's 'The Crown' Portrayed King Charles' Accident
King Charles called the experience 'a close thing.'
The avalanche incident was also dramatized in season four of Netflix's royal drama, The Crown.
Lindsay's widow, Sarah Horsley, criticized the portrayal in 2020, and revealed she asked the streamer to not show the incident.
“I was horrified when I was told [the episode] was happening and was very concerned about the impact on my daughter,” she told The Sunday Telegraph.
“I’m very upset by it and I’m dreading people seeing it. I wrote to them asking them not to do it, not to use the accident. I suppose members of the royal family have to grin and bear it, but for me it’s a very private tragedy," she added.
