[4] Routledge, an only child, was born on 14 September 1999 at Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield and raised in nearby Falcon Lodge, Birmingham.

[14] In 2019, following the Christmas exams of his first term at Loughborough University, Routledge was invited to spend his winter holiday exploring Chernobyl alongside a friend.

[22] While the ongoing Taliban offensive was at the time not expected to reach the city for months,[18] the FCDO advised against all travel to the whole country, and urged British nationals in Afghanistan to leave immediately.

"[24] On 14 August, Routledge and his Afghan tour guide set out to do a "charity day", taking about $30 to purchase food for local children and dogs;[18] numerous chaotic events soon occurred, including a bank run and people firing automatic weapons in the air.

[24] Fellow 4chan posters began to research Taliban activity in the area and provide him with updates on their progress; Routledge said that "even though 4chan's obviously a toxic place and there are terrible things on there, the people who did reply did give good information and did save my life several times over".

[29][30][20] While some people had started raising money to help him escape the country, Routledge suggested instead that they give to charity;[24] on Facebook, he asked followers to focus their concern on others at risk from the events, including the tour guide who led him to safety (saying that "his only crime is going the extra mile and saving my life, I can never repay him and that saddens me").

[24] By 15 August, Routledge said that the British embassy in Kabul had not responded to his calls or emails, and that he was "fully prepared for death", saying that "this trip has been a test of God.

[19] On 16 August a spokesman for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said that it was "aware of this case and [was] attempting to reach the individual to offer assistance";[17] the same day, Routledge said that he expected to leave in an "emergency evacuation".

[34][35][36][37][38][39][excessive citations] While on his trip to Afghanistan in May 2022, Routledge was interviewed by the Afghan television news station Barya TV.

He recently went back to Afghanistan to visit the GDI (with whom he has developed a connection) and plans to open businesses such as a gold mine there.

[53] Also, in 2024, Routledge visited Canada, then upon his departure, he was informed by the Canadian government that he was banned from re-entering the country for 5 years on terrorism charges.