Tragedy as hillwalker dies after walking on King Charles's estate

A man believed to be in his 50s was climbing the 3,789 feet high Lochnagar mountain on King Charles's Balmoral Estate at the weekend, when it is believed he suffered a suspected heart attack while climbing. The Braemar Mountain Rescue team was sent to assist, and the operations manager of Braemar MRT, Malcolm MacIntyre, confirmed the incident.

He said: "Unfortunately, he had suffered a fatal heart attack about a third of the way up. The man was with a couple of friends but sadly he passed away.We would like to pass on our condolences to his family and friends."

King Charles became the patron of the mountain rescue team that covers his most beloved hill, taking over the role from his late father, Prince Philip.

The late Duke of Edinburgh was a particularly keen supporter of the patronage, having taken up the role in 1966.

The mountain was immortalised by King Charles in his 1980s children's book, The Old Man of Lochnagar. The book tells the story of an old man who leaves his cave in the cliffs for adventures in the surrounding countryside.

The King wrote the tale while on the Royal Yacht Britannia in 1969 - when he was the 20-year-old Prince of Wales - to entertain his brothers Andrew and Edward, who were then nine and five respectively. Charles famously told the story to millions of children in 1984, when he appeared on popular BBC teatime story show Jackanory.

The book was later made into an animated short film by the BBC, with the late Scottish actor, Robbie Coltrane, doing the voice of the hermit and King Charles narrating. It features illustrations from the late Sir Hugh Casson, the distinguished architect and artist.

Nestled in the Grampians, Lochnagar is the Prince of Wales's favourite spot for a walk with wife

In 2015, officials on the late Queen's Highland estate took to Facebook to shame litter louts who dumped rubbish on the slopes. An image of discarded cigarette butts, eggshells, plastic bottles and cans collected from near the summit of the Munro was posted.

The Balmoral Facebook page uploaded a picture of a pile of the rubbish with the words: "Home to golden eagle, ptarmigan, snow bunting and lots and lots of used tissues, broken glass, drink cans and banana skins. This picture shows just some of the litter collected in and around the summit of Lochnagar."