Prince Harry is left devastated after his heroic friend who trained him for his South Pole charity trek ‘killed himself’ aged 37
- Jules Roberts, 37, trained Prince Harry, 34, for charity trek to South Pole in 2013
- Prince Harry sent note and flowers to Jules’ funeral in Newcastle-under-Lyme
- Source said the Duke of Sussex was ‘very upset’ at the ‘shock’ death of friend
The Duke of Sussex has been left devastated after a friend who trained him for his tough trek to the South Pole in 2013 died aged just 37.
Jules Roberts was found dead on August 5 and later cremated in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire. It is thought he took his own life.
Prince Harry, 34, and the charity chief executive were said to have ‘hit it off from the moment they met’ and the royal sent a private note to the funeral, reports the Mirror.
Prince Harry is ‘very upset’ after his friend Jules Roberts, pictured together, died aged 37. The royal sent a private note and flowers to the funeral in Newcastle-under-Lyme
A source said Harry was ‘very upset’ and the death of his friend had ‘come as a real shock.’
As well as a thoughtful note, Harry also sent flowers to the funeral for Jules’ wife Francesca and their two-year-old daughter.
Prince Harry trekked to the South Pole, after being trained by Jules, in December 2013 with 12 other people most of whom had been injured in battle.
Several of the explorers had had their legs amputated, while others suffered from blindness, burns and post traumatic stress disorder.
The trek saw three teams, from the UK, the US and the Commonwealth, travel a distance of 208 miles in temperatures of up to minus 50 degrees all in aid of charity Walking With The Wounded.
Walking With The Wounded founder Ed Parker told the Mirror Jules was a ‘diamond’.
Jules Roberts, pictured training for a charity event, helped Prince Harry prepare for a trek to the South Pole in 2013 to raise money for Walking With The Wounded
Prince Harry, pictured on the South Pole trip six years ago, and Jules were said to have ‘hit it off from the moment they met’
He said: ‘I know that he admired hugely Harry’s commitment to both mental health and the veteran community. There was a lot of respect both ways.’
The charity will dedicate their marathon across the Sahara next year to Jules.
Jules was the chief executive of the charity Sharegift which is based in London and he helped fund the royal’s Heads Together mental health charity.
Harry, Prince William, Kate and Meghan all worked on the Heads Together campaign after it was launched by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2016.
Their joint Royal Foundation venture was intended to harness the star power of the four high-profile royals, but it lasted just 16 months.
In June Harry and Meghan split from the charity with sources saying it was ‘largely about preparing both couples for their future roles which are obviously on divergent tracks’.
A royal spokesperson declined to comment.
For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see www.samaritans.org for details.