Prince William was among the congregation at a memorial service for SAS founding member Major Mike Sadler that was held at Hereford Cathedral.

There was an increased police presence in Hereford before and during the Prince of Wales’s visit, with police officers seen patrolling the routes and walkways near the cathedral.

When the 103-year-old Special Air Service veteran died on 4 January he was the last of The Originals.

Maj Sadler was held in high regard among veterans including former SAS member Lieutenant Colonel (Ret’d) Keith Edlin, who said: “He was very highly respected by the wartime members of the SAS, they are the ones who set the original standards.”

In a piece for Forces News, author Damien Lewis paid tribute to the legendary figure who was a man of honour as well as incredible courage.

During the Second World War Major Sadler was recruited from the Long Range Desert Group (LRDG) – a covert reconnaissance and raiding unit that operated behind enemy lines on the Libyan-Egyptian frontier – by David Stirling, the founder of the British Army’s elite Special Air Service regiment.

Maj Sadler was awarded the Military Cross for his actions in France and in 2018, he was recognised with France’s highest honour – the Legion d’honneur.

In an interview with Forces News, SAS veteran Lieutenant Colonel (Ret’d) Keith Edlin also paid tribute to Major Sadler. He said: “It was a great honour for me to meet Mike Sadler.

“Nowadays you read in the papers about ‘so-and-so is a legend’ – I don’t think they know what a legend is because these are the people who are legends.”

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