King Charles III narrowly escaped death during key event, documentary reveals

Prince William and Harry's father King Charles III could have lost his life during the raising of an iconic flagship the Mary Rose live on TV, a new documentary has revealed.

The Mary Rose, the flagship of King Henry VIII for 34 years, sank during a battle with a French fleet in 1545. The wreckage, located in the depths of the Solent in 1971, was later excavated in October 1982. 

The late Queen's eldest son Charles, the Britain's new King, was there to watch the mammoth effort. But it was there that he narrowly avoided what could have been a tragic accident, a new documentary, per Express UK, has claimed.

During the operation, part of the enormous Tog Mor crane – which is Gaelic for “big lift” – and the barge collapsed near Charles. He was about to examine the vessel close up when it crashed, almost smashing the hull of the Mary Rose as the frame broke away near where the then-Prince of Wales had been standing.

Royal Engineer Jack Frost was involved in the operation and witnessed Charles' close shave, recounting how everything fell silent after the frame broke away.

Charles, according to the documentary, encouraged the multi-millionaire owner of Howard Doris, an offshore construction engineering company, to loan the famous floating crane which then typically cost £25,000 to hire, almost £80,000 today.