Queen's sadness at death of Everest hero Sir Edmund Hillary

Sir Edmund, the first person to conquer Mount Everest, died on Thursday aged 88.

The monarch met the climber - who was made a Garter Knight in 1995 - many times, most recently at the Garter ceremony in Windsor in 2004.

He scaled the world's highest mountain along with Tenzing Norgay on May 29, 1953, only days before Elizabeth II's coronation.

Buckingham Palace said the Queen was sending a personal message of sympathy to his widow and family. She said she was "very saddened" to hear of his death.

Gordon Brown said of the climber: "He was a truly great hero who captured the imagination of the world, a towering figure who will always be remembered as a pioneer explorer and leader."

Conservative-leader David Cameron described him as "a giant of the 20th century".

"His and Tenzing Norgay's conquest of Everest represents one of the great peaks of human achievement, and the work Sir Edmund did to help the Sherpa people of Nepal is testament to the friendship they forged," he said.

The climbing community in Nepal also mourned his passing.

Bhoomi Lama, of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, said: "He was a hero and a leader for us.

"He did a lot for the people of the Everest region and he will always remain in our hearts."