Ben Duncan, a former college classmate of Prince William and Kate Middleton, who also appeared on the British iteration of Big Brother, has died after falling seven stories from the rooftop bar of a London hotel.
The 45-year-old socialite died late Thursday after falling from the the Trafalgar St. James Hotel, according to the Scottish Daily Express, citing Metropolitan Police.
Authorities told the outlet that Duncan’s death was “unexpected but non-suspicious.”
“Officers responded to concerns for a man on the roof of a building in Cockspur Street, Westminster at 23:02 hours on Thursday, 30 October. The man sadly fell from height,” a police spokesperson told People.
His body was reportedly found in Spring Gardens, just off Trafalgar Square.
“Despite the best efforts from the London Ambulance Service, he was sadly pronounced dead at the scene,” a police spokesperson said.
His death was also confirmed by UK broadcaster Mike Hollingsworth, who has held various positions at networks like ITV and the BBC.
“My dear, dear friend Benjamin (Ben) Duncan has left us. He lived life as a Peter Pan, the boy who never grew up,” Hollingsworth wrote Monday (Nov 3) on Facebook. “He will be sorely missed by his many, many friends who grew to love his charm, his wit, his infectious laugh and his innate sense of style. The world is a poorer place for his passing.”
Duncan attended Scotland’s University of St. Andrews in the early 2000s, at the same time as William and Kate. It’s been reported that he befriended the pair while in school, and he previously spoke about knowing the royal couple in a 2010 interview.
However, according to Us Weekly, he was not part of their inner circle, as he appeared to have claimed.
The Daily News has reached out to Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace for comment. – New York Daily News/Tribune News Service
