Princess of Wales meets wheelchair user during Three Peaks challenge
An 11-year-old paraplegic wheelchair user met the Princess of Wales on Ben Nevis as she completed the Three Peaks challenge and later donated to his fundraiser.
Catherine, Princess of Wales, met 11-year-old Ted Haslam on Ben Nevis while he was being pushed and carried toward the summit by his father and 15 friends and relatives. The Sutton Coldfield boy, who uses a wheelchair, was taking part in a fundraising climb that turned a national endurance test into a pointed display of access, effort and support.
Ted was raising money for Molly Olly’s Wishes, a charity that supports children with serious illnesses. His team later completed the National Three Peaks Challenge in 30 hours, and Ted’s fundraising page said the climb was not his first mountain outing. He had already taken on Snowdon twice and had reached the summit of Ben Nevis last year.
The Princess was in the middle of her own Three Peaks effort when she came across Ted and his family. Kensington Palace said the completion of the challenge was believed to be a royal first, with Catherine becoming the first member of the royal family to finish Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon within 24 hours. The route covers about 23 miles, or 37km, includes around 3,064 metres, or 10,052ft, of ascent, and involves roughly 462 miles of driving between the peaks.
Her climb formed part of her work with the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, linked to the Chelsea hospital where she received cancer treatment. She has framed the challenge as a way to draw attention to the deeper impact of serious illness, the importance of holistic healthcare, and the need to give something back while exploring life beyond diagnosis.
After the encounter, the Princess donated to Ted’s JustGiving page and left a message highlighting one of the day’s standouts as meeting inspiring people along the way, while congratulating Ted, Pete and the wider team. The appeal had passed more than £11,000 in donations in the immediate aftermath, and later climbed above £13,000.
The scene on Ben Nevis placed a wheelchair user at the centre of a challenge usually defined by speed, distance and elevation. Ted’s ascent required a father, 15 relatives and friends, and a shared physical effort to move him uphill, underscoring the realities faced by disabled children and wheelchair users on some of Britain’s most demanding outdoor routes.
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