Major who helped carry royal coffin denies calling recruit

Inquest opens into death of Connor MacKenzie Clark, 18, who is believed to have taken his own life

A Royal Marines major who was a member of the bearer party for the Duke of Edinburgh’s coffin has denied telling a teenage trainee who is believed to have taken his own life that he was the “worst recruit” and a “failure”.

Maj Mark Thrift also said he could not understand why a search for Connor MacKenzie Clark, whose body was found on a railway track in Devon a few metres from the training camp, was not launched when he was reported missing.