Prince William was present at the final SAS original soldier’s burial today.
Major Mike Sadler passed away at 103 years old. By tracking the stars, he navigated the North African deserts.
The 41-year-old Prince of Wales attended a memorial ceremony for Sadler this morning at Hereford Cathedral.
He was a farmer, sailor, soldier, and spy, leading an extremely varied life.

He entered France via parachute following the D-Day landings. An section in the Antarctic was named for him, and he was employed by MI6.
But his most well-known position may have been serving as chief navigator for SAS founder David Stirling.
The early SAS attacks were based on massive, moving sand dunes. Sadler, who was twice married and has a daughter called Sally, was without satellites, GPS, or trustworthy landmarks when he was serving.
He used the sun, stars, and a technique known as “dead reckoning” to determine direction and distance.
In December 1941, five months after the SAS was established, Sadler took part in the first attack against the Wadi Tamet airstrip that was successful. Along with five other soldiers, they destroyed a fuel dump and twenty-four Axis airplanes.

After the war, Sadler received the Polar Medal and joined the Antarctic Survey when the SAS was temporarily disbanded. He then became a member of MI6.
He was portrayed by 28-year-old Tom Glynn-Carney in the popular BBC series SAS Rogue Heroes.
They first spoke in 2022 on the BBC’s “The One Show,” when the actor mentioned how difficult it was to portray a professional navigator on television.
The war hero had lost his sight by then. It’s not that hard, he added, laughing.
Sadler said that he enjoyed the desert despite having to travel over the sand dunes for four days when the Nazis captured him trying to escape. I cherished all of the voids.

When Wills appeared in public for the first time since the Princess of Wales revealed her illness to the world a month prior, he made a pledge to “look after” her.
William worked in the kitchen at Surplus to Supper, a charity that provides food to those in need in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, as well as helping to load food into trucks.

A volunteer named Rachel Candappa, 71, delivered the Prince two get-well cards that were meant for Kate and the King.

William responded, “Thank you,” looking touched. Many thanks for it.

Rachel told Wills to take care of Kate, and he responded with a “I will,” placing his left hand on her shoulder.