Prince William’s ex-flying instructor dies of cancer aged 47 after ‘years of inhaling toxic fumes’

PRINCE William's military flying instructor has died of cancer after years of exposure to toxic helicopter exhaust fumes. Flight Sergeant Zach Stubbings passed away aged 47 after over a decade of battling multiple myeloma - cancer of the blood and bone marrow. The dad-of-three was diagnosed in 2013, thirteen years after joining the RAF Search and Rescue. Zach trained Prince William when he was based at RAF Valley in Anglesey from 2010 to 2013.

The future King regularly flew Sea King helicopters - the same aircrafts as Zach. Zach's passing was announced by Richard Sutton, a former Navy Commander and pilot who was also diagnosed with cancer 12 years ago. Richard has epithelioid fibrosarcoma - a vicious cancer that often starts in the bone before spreading elsewhere. Richard called Zach a "lively and bubbly guy" and said that his death was "yet another blow" for his wife Anna-Louise, who tragically lost her first husband and seven-year-old in a car crash in 2015.

Richard and Zach are not alone - hundreds of fellow members of the Armed Forces have also been diagnosed with rare and deadly cancers which they claim were caused by exposure to fumes. As well as multiple myeloma, former service men and women who have flown Sea King, Wessex and Puma and Chinook helicopters have been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, throat cancer, lung cancer and testicular cancer.

Prince William has been pictured flying Sea King helicopters in the early 2010s. Zach previously told MailOnline that he was often surrounded by black exhaust fumes. In an interview last year, he told the publication: "If you're by the cargo door, the exhaust comes right through. "Even worse, if you're working on the winch, which I was, you're putting your head right out into it. "We had to clean everything. It didn't feel right. There was no protection, nothing. We all complained about it.".

He said how he would often get "a face full" of the sooty fumes, noting the dreadful smell. Zach and Richard set up a Whatsapp chat called Fly Hard, Fight Hard in 2013 to share support and raise awareness with other colleagues. The group, which had the motto 'Shoulder to Shoulder', contained three other staff members who had been diagnosed with throat and lung cancers - despite never smoking. Tragically, two of the original five died in 2023 and four others also died in the last 20 months.

Richard's disease started in his neck and spread across his jaw and heart - with one throat tumour so large that he struggled to breathe. After doctors told him that it was inoperable due to the proximity to a major blood vessel connected to the brain, he started saying his goodbyes to his family. Thankfully, the decision was overruled and a team of surgeons operated and were able to remove the tumour entirely.

Richard, who flew Sea King aircrafts, said the helicopters burned aviation fuel, which he explained would billow through the doors. Last year, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) launched a probe into all military helicopters that may have emitted toxic exhaust fumes, as reported by The Times. An MoD spokesman said: “Any death is a tragedy and our thoughts are with the family and friends of Zack Stubbins at this difficult time.

“We take the health of our personnel extremely seriously and regularly review our processes to ensure that we’re doing what we can to keep our people safe. “We are in the process of testing the exhaust emissions of in-service helicopters, to ensure that we are meeting our duty of care for personnel. "It is essential that we can assure our people of their safety at work.”. The Sun has approached the MoD for comment.