A renowned socialite who was friends with Prince William and Kate Middleton and appeared in numerous TV shows has died after falling from the roof of a West End hotel.
Ben Duncan was at St Andrews university with the royal couple when they first started dating and was said to be part of their inner circle before becoming a media personality in shows like Big Brother.
The 45-year-old died late on Thursday after falling seven floors – around 100 feet – from the rooftop bar of London’s fashionable Trafalgar St James hotel, where rooms can cost up to £1,000 a night.
He was found dead soon after officers from the Metropolitan Police were dispatched to investigate reports of a ‘man on the roof’ of the luxury five-star hotel.
A spokesperson told the Daily Mail: ‘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. Despite the best efforts from the London Ambulance service, he was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.
‘His death is unexpected but non-suspicious.’
Ben’s body is understood to have been found in Spring Gardens which is just off Trafalgar Square having fallen from the roof of the seven-story building.
Renowned socialite Ben Duncan who was friends with Prince William and Kate Middleton and appeared in Big Brother has died after falling from the roof of a London hotel (pictured in 2010)
The 45-year-old died after falling around 100 feet from the bar on the roof of London’s fashionable Trafalgar St James hotel late on Thursday night (pictured 2010)
The Trafalgar St James hotel, which reopened in 2017 with a high-profile launch attended by Laura Whitmore, Nick Grimshaw and Millie Mackintosh, charges up to £1,000 a night
Ben’s body is understood to have been found in Spring Gardens which is just off Trafalgar Square having fallen from the roof of the seven-story building
As well as the royals, Ben has a wide network of well-connected friends like political fixer Lord Peter Mandelson, former cabinet member turned broadcaster Michael Portillo and designer Nicky Haslam acquired through his media work.
Broadcaster Mike Hollingsworth wrote on Facebook: ‘My dear, dear friend Benjamin (Ben) Duncan has left us.
‘He lived life as Peter Pan – the boy who never grew up. 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. RIP Benji.’
Former Big Brother star Ben Duncan has died aged 45 after falling from the roof of a luxury London hotel, the Daily Mail can reveal (pictured 2010)
Another friend, speaking anonymously, told of their shock at his death: ‘Ben was always the life and soul of the party.
‘Although he appeared on reality TV shows, Ben’s true passions were politics and music.
‘In recent years, he had become more reclusive – and had struggled with insomnia.
‘It’s truly devastating that he’s gone so soon.’
Ben shared a close connection with Prince William and Kate Middleton, becoming one of the first to know about their budding relationship.
Speaking in November, 2010, he said: ‘Because we’d had Will and Kate in our midst we had royal protection officers swarming the place. We knew that they had hit it off and we knew that something was happening, but they were just left alone to get on with it.’
He was present at the much-cited moment when Kate dazzled as a model in a university fashion show, famously credited as capturing William’s attention and cementing their attraction.
Ben recalled: ‘It was the end of their first year. I was there, and in person there were a lot of attractive girls. She was in a very daring dress, in a sheer stocking-like dress. He was sitting front row and his eyes were like stalks.
‘She brushed by him on the way to the catwalk and things were never the same again – the whole history of the monarchy had been altered.’
After graduating Ben became known to the wider public by appearing in a number of TV shows, starting with Channel 4’s Big Brother in 2010, where he was depicted as ‘posh’ in contrast to Bristol-born Josie Gibson, who went on to win the show.
Mike Hollingsworth, his close friend and broadcaster, wrote on Facebook: ‘My dear, dear friend Benjamin (Ben) Duncan has left us. The world is a poorer place for his passing’ (pictured 2010)
Ben discussed his eviction from the Big Brother house with former host Davina McCall in 2010
Ben previously spoke about attending university with Prince William and Kate Middleton, revealing he was at the famous fashion show where sparks flew between the royal couple (pictured 2005)
Other shows he appeared in included Come Dine With Me, Ladette to Lady and Celebrity Coach Trip.
He also presented a number of programmes including More Than A Mistress.
A London Ambulance service spokesperson said: ‘We were called at 10:59pm on Thursday 30 October to reports of an incident on Spring Gardens, City of Westminster.
‘We sent resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, an incident response officer, paramedics in fast response cars and paramedics from our hazardous area response team (HART).
Rooms at the luxury London hotel can cost up to £1,000 a night following its celebrity relaunch in 2017
The rooftop has views of Nelson’s Column and Trafalgar Square, making it a hotspot for tourists
Its rooftop bar has high plastic screens around its edges as a safety feature
‘We also dispatched a trauma team in a car from London’s Air Ambulance.
‘Very sadly, despite the best efforts of our crews, a man was pronounced dead at the scene.’
The Trafalgar St James hotel, which reopened in 2017 with a high profile launch attended by Laura Whitmore, Nick Grimshaw and Millie Mackintosh, charges up to £1,000 a night.
Its rooftop bar has high plastic screens around its edges as a safety feature.
*Samaritans can be reached at any time of the day or night on 116 123
