Prince William’s former flying instructor has passed away aged 47.
Flight Sergeant Zach Stubbings died after battling multiple myeloma, a cancer that affects the bone marrow and plasma cells, for years.
The father of three had spent nine years inhaling toxic exhaust fumes from Sea King helicopters while serving in the RAF.
His passing was revealed by former Navy commander Richard Sutton, who told the Times that he died last month after going into a hospice a few weeks earlier.
The two men both worked for the coastguard, carrying out search and rescue in 2015.
Stubbings trained the Prince of Wales when he was based at RAF Valley in Anglesey from 2010 to 2013 flying the search-and-rescue helicopters.
Mr Sutton told the outlet he had been in a WhatsApp group with seven other former military aircrew, including Stubbings, all of who were suffering from a type of cancer, with only two of them still alive.
He himself had been diagnosed with nine tumours since his first cancer diagnosis in 2011, according to the outlet.
Mr Sutton said his death was a “shock” and added that he was “a lively and bubbly guy”.
Stubbings leaves behind his wife, Anna-Louise, who lost her first husband and seven-year-old son ten years ago when they were killed by a careless driver.
Mr Sutton added that the 47-year-old’s wife had been “very strong”.
He said: “She’s obviously found it difficult over the last few months and this year losing Zach was yet another massive blow.
“She seems to have been incredibly strong and coping as best as anyone can hope you would cope.”
Stubbings and Sutton are among the many service personnel suffering from life-threatening cancers in a scandal involving the Sea King helicopters.
The former RAF and Navy pilots have accused the Ministry of Defence of knowing about the potential risks from the military helicopters but said they did nothing about it.
The Times revealed last year that around 40 military personnel were suing the MoD, the number of which is expected to rise.
The MoD launched an investigation last year to examine all the military helicopters that might be emitting carcinogenic fumes, with ministers now trying to find out how many troops have been diagnosed with cancer after flying the helicopters.
Mr Stubbings was one of five people who received payouts from the MoD after being diagnosed with cancer.
Last year, the ex-flight sergeant told the outlet: “You can sit there and cry about it but that’s the hand you’ve been dealt.”
An MOD spokesperson said: “Any death is a tragedy and our thoughts are with the family and friends of Zack Stubbings 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.”
