Prince William has paid tribute to Nirmal "Nims" Purja, the British-Nepali mountaineer killed in an avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan that claimed at least ten lives.

In a message shared on his social media pages on 1 August 2026, the Prince of Wales said he was "truly saddened to hear of the tragic death of Nirmal Purja and those who lost their lives in the avalanche on Broad Peak." He noted that Purja had "served with distinction in the British Armed Forces before becoming one of the world's greatest mountaineers," and said his thoughts were with Purja's family and the families of all those who died Hello!.

Purja, who was 43, was among a group of climbers on an expedition organised with the Alpine Club of Pakistan. The party included five other climbers from Nepal, as well as climbers from China, Pakistan, Oman, and an American named Mallory Geis Hello!. Broad Peak, the 12th-highest mountain in the world at more than 26,400 feet, sits in the Karakoram range between Pakistan and China.

Rescue efforts were launched after the avalanche struck. Four bodies were initially recovered, and subsequent reports confirmed Purja and at least four other climbers had been found dead CNN; Climbing.com. The death toll was later put at ten Hello!.

Born in Nepal, Purja served in the British military — including the Special Boat Service — before turning to high-altitude mountaineering. In 2019, he climbed all 14 of the world's 8,000-metre peaks in 189 days, a feat chronicled in the 2021 Netflix documentary 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible. He held the record for the fastest ascent of all 14 peaks until 2023, when a Norwegian climber surpassed him Hello!.

Days before the avalanche, Purja had written on social media: "Broad Peak, I ask for nothing but safe passage up and back down. I take zero mountains for granted" BBC News.

Elite Exped, the expedition company associated with Purja, issued a statement saying: "Nims dedicated his life to expanding the boundaries of human potential" Climbing.com.

Purja's record-breaking 2019 climb brought him a global following. The Netflix film followed him summiting all 14 peaks in just over six months — a challenge that had previously taken individual climbers years, if not decades, to complete. His military background gave the enterprise a methodical, almost operational character that set his public profile apart from other high-altitude climbers.

The avalanche on Broad Peak is one of the deadliest single incidents in Karakoram mountaineering in recent years. The mountain, while lower than nearby K2, is known for its long, exposed ridges and unpredictable conditions above 7,000 metres.