Amputee plans more climbs after MBE award

The first above-the-knee double-amputee to climb Mount Everest has said the Princess Royal was speechless when he told her he is planning to scale more mountains.

Hari Budha Magar, from Canterbury in Kent, said it was “absolutely amazing” to be made an MBE at Windsor Castle on Wednesday.

Mr Magar, an adventurer and disability campaigner, was a Gurkha serving with the British Army in Afghanistan in 2010 when he lost both legs in an IED (improvised explosive device) blast.

Originally from Nepal, the father-of-three became the first above-the-knee double-amputee to climb the world’s highest mountain in 2023.

He took a campaign to the Supreme Court in Nepal to overturn a ban on people with disabilities climbing Everest in 2018.

Mr Magar said: “I told her (the Princess Royal) that I am climbing the seven summits. She couldn’t speak for a while.”

He is aiming to climb the highest peak on each of the seven continents.

With three to go, he will attempt the next one in February, when he will take on Aconcagua, the tallest mountain in South America.

After losing both his legs, Mr Magar also suffered with his mental health.

“At one point I thought I was going to die soon because I was drinking so much to just control my pain and emotions,” Mr Magar said.

“I didn’t know how powerful the mind is. But I just wanted to live for my family. I started doing sports and gained my confidence.”

He was made an MBE for services to disability awareness.

Mr Magar received the honour alongside 60 other recipients, including actress Rose Ayling-Ellis, who made history as the first deaf contestant on Strictly Come Dancing.

Additional reporting by PA Media.

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