Prince Harry shared a personal note with the family of a close friend who trained him for his South Pole trek after he was found dead at just 37.
Jules Roberts died by suicide on August 5 and was later cremated in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, according to the Sunday Mirror.
Jules – a heroic adventurer – struck up a friendship with the Duke of Sussex six years ago when he helped in his training for the gruelling Walking with the Wounded challenge.
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.
A source said Harry was ‘very upset’ and the death of his friend had ‘come as a real shock.’
Alongside his note, Harry also sent flowers to the funeral for Jules, who leaves behind wife Francesca and their daughter, two.
Jules helped raise hundreds of thousands of pounds for charity by completing extreme challenges.
In December 2013, Harry, Jules and 12 others who had been injured in battle, trekked to the South Pole in aid of charity Walking with the Wounded.
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.
Walking With The Wounded founder Ed Parker told the Mirror Jules was a ‘diamond’.
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, he said.
Jules was the chief executive of the charity Sharegift which helped to 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.
In June, Harry and Meghan split from the Royal Foundation to set up their own charitable foundation, according to royal aides.
But both couples will continue to work together in future, including on Heads Together.
A royal spokesperson declined to comment.
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