The Princess of Wales was near the summit of Ben Nevis last week when a real-life mountain rescue unfolded on the slopes below her, giving her a first-hand glimpse of the work carried out by the Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team. Catherine was climbing Britain's highest peak as part of a Three Peaks challenge in aid of The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, and members of the team praised her achievement, noting how quickly she completed the walk following her cancer treatment.

While the Princess was more than 2,000ft above the drama and able to follow it over the team's radios, an 87-year-old blind military veteran, John Banfield, was being helped off the mountain lower down. Mr Banfield, from Milton Keynes, had reached the summit on Armed Forces Day the previous month to raise money for Blind Veterans UK, guided by RAF veteran Gary Thomas, but became exhausted at Halfway Lochan and was brought down by two rescuers using an all-terrain vehicle. Deputy team leader Astie Cameron described Catherine, who completed the climb in just under five hours, as "absolutely amazing".