Prince Charles returns to place that holds painful memories of near death experience and tragic loss for bittersweet getaway

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 17: Prince Charles, Prince of Wales attends a reception after presenting the Queen's Anniversary Prizes for higher and further education for 2020-2022 during a ceremony at St James's Palace on February 17, 2022 in London, England. The Queen's Anniversary Prizes are awarded every two years to universities and colleges whose work has been judged to show excellence, innovation and impact in any field or discipline, and to be of a benefit to society, as well as the institutions themselves. (Photo by Kirsty O'Connor - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Prince Charles returned to a place that holds painful memories of near death experience and tragic loss for a bittersweet getaway after recovering from Covid-19.

Prince Charles has enjoyed a bittersweet break to a holiday resort that still holds painful memories 34 years on.

The Prince of Wales is reported to have travelled to the Swiss resort of Klosters to enjoy a getaway before continuing with his official duties, having been forced to self-isolate with Covid-19 last month.

But the trip will have, no doubt, evoked painful memories from the fatal skiing accident that took place there in the 1980's when Charles was on holiday with close friends.

Prince Charles, Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson

At the time, Prince Charles narrowly avoided death during an avalanche at the resort that claimed the life of Major Hugh Lindsay - a close friend of Charles' and an aide to his mother Queen Elizabeth II.

Prince Charles and Princess Diana were on the trip at the time of the freak accident but only Charles was on the slope during the avalanche that tragically killed Hugh, who was found after a rigorous search. He was pronounced dead at a hospital in Davos, Switzerland.

And according to the Mail on Sunday, Prince Charles travelled back to the resort after completing self-isolation from his positive Covid test, ahead of what will be the 34th anniversary of the tragedy on March 10th.

In 1994, Prince Charles recalled the terrifying moment during a documentary. He said, "The next thing I heard was Bruno's voice shouting 'Jump.' This vast, roaring mound of snow in vast blocks came crashing down round us. I'd never seen anything so terrifying in my life. A staggering maelstrom."

Major Hugh Lindsay Coffin

Prince Charles narrowly escaped death and was airlifted off the slope but sadly his friend and former equerry to the Queen Major Hugh Lindsay was killed.

When the avalanche occurred, Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson, who was Prince Andrew's wife at the time, were both in their chalet in Davos.

Royal biographers claimed the incident marked a turning point in Prince Charles and Diana's marriage, with author Tina Brown declaring that the tragedy served as a "wedge, not a bridge" for the couple.

In her book The Diana Chronicles, Tina wrote, "Diana blamed Charles for his recklessness in choosing such a hazardous run."

Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry

(Image credit: UK Press via Getty Images)

And royal biographer James Whitaker supported her sentiment in his book Diana vs. Charles: Royal Blood Feud. He wrote, "The day the Klosters avalanche was triggered was the day Diana finally hardened her heart against her husband."

In the early 2000's Prince Charles returned to Klosters with his children Prince William and Prince Harry and posed for official royal photographs.

But the Swiss ski resort is one of happier memories for Prince William as then-girlfriend Kate Middleton was pictured with him for the very first time in 2004.

Selina Maycock
Senior Entertainment Writer

Selina is currently a Senior Entertainment Writer for Goodto.com, formerly Senior Entertainment writer for Woman&Home, and My Imperfect Life and has more than 16 years of experience in newspapers, magazines and online. She currently writes a mix of Entertainment news - including celebrity births, weddings and reality show line-ups including Strictly, Dancing On Ice and The Great British Bake Off, reporting the the latest news about the Royal kids Prince George, Charlotte, Louis, Archie and Lilibet as well as Family news stories from baby names to store closures and product recall warnings. Before joining Future Publishing, Selina graduated from the University of Sheffield in 2006 with a degree in Journalism. She is fully NCTJ and NCE qualified and has 100wpm shorthand. When she's not interviewing celebrities you can find her exploring new countryside walking routes, catching up with friends over good food, or making memories.