Chief scout Bear Grylls led a secret search for late mountaineer Michael Matthews
(Picture: PA Wire)Bear Grylls led a secret search on Mount Everest in a bid to recover the body of Pippa Middleton’s brother-in-law, Michael Matthews.
Matthews, who was the brother of Middleton’s husband, the racing driver turned hedge fund manager James Matthews and Made In Chelsea star Spencer Matthews, died in a mountaineering accident hours after becoming the youngest Brit to conquer the world’s highest peak.
“We actually had an expedition on Everest to try to recover the body of the brother of a good friend, who climbed it the year after I was there but was never found," Grylls said.
“We really tried. We had the best team in the world.”
Speaking at the Oxford Union, he revealed: “We had a team of, like, 10 Nepalese guys and some other incredible Western climbers..."
Grylls, who is friends with both brothers, led the expedition earlier this year to find the body of the 22-year-old who died in 1999 after following Grylls, who had reached the summit of Everest at age 23 the previous year.
The Matthews family is reportedly desperate to find his body.
Grylls, who has done excursions on his Running Wild With Bear Grylls show with the likes of former US President Barack Obama and actor Kate Winslet, added: “The story has not come out yet, so I am not going to talk too much about it
“But it was a really special moment for [Michael’s] family."
In March this year, Spencer Matthews, 33, is in the early stages of making a documentary about his late brother’s last days.
A source told The Sun at the time: “Spencer’s documentary about Michael and his final days is at the very early stages and Disney+ have shown an interest ... there is a guide who believes they know his final resting place...
“Spencer is hugely passionate about embarking on it if he can make it work."
About 310 climbers have died on the slopes of the world’s tallest mountain, which is 8,848.86 metres above sea level. Many of the bodies have never been found.
Causes of death include exhaustion, heart attack and asphyxiation by avalanche.
Altitude sickness is also a factor as it can weaken and shut down the body, with climbers becoming too ill to continue and their body shutting down.
