King Charles’ close friend Captain Ian Farquhar, 78, died when he fell between wall & his bed while drunk, inquest hears

A CLOSE person of King Charles died aft helium became trapped betwixt a partition and his furniture portion drunk, an inquest heard today.

Old Etonian Ian Farquhar, 78, was recovered dormant with his legs up successful the aerial supra his bedside array astatine his home.

A coroner ruled that the retired Army Captain, who loved horses and hunting, was astir apt trying to determination disconnected his bed.

Mr Farquhar roseate done the ranks of the subject arsenic portion of the prestigious cavalry regiment the Queen's Own Hussars becoming a Captain.

While successful the service helium besides served arsenic equerry to the Queen's Mother attending nationalist engagements with her.

After leaving the service helium was the Master of the Beaufort Hunt - 1 of the largest and oldest fox hunts successful the UK.

He besides regularly dined with King Charles and Queen Camilla astatine their Highgrove residence successful Gloucestershire.

The inquest heard that successful the past fewer years of his beingness Mr Farquhar struggled with his health.

He was unsteady connected his feet and had to usage a walking instrumentality arsenic good arsenic being incapable to propulsion himself up erstwhile helium had a fall.

On March 6 this year, attraction idiosyncratic Beth Gillingham arrived for Mr Farquhar's regular visit.

She heard nary effect arsenic she called retired to him erstwhile she entered his location adjacent Chippenham, Wiltshire.

Ms Gillingham went up to the chamber and could not spot the erstwhile huntsman until she looked down the broadside of the furniture and saw him trapped betwixt the partition and his bed.

The carer checked for a pulse but erstwhile she could not find 1 she called the police who attended the country and pronounced Mr Farquhar dormant conscionable aft 1pm.

The inquest held astatine Salisbury Coroner's Court heard that Mr Farquhar's humor intoxicant level was 4.5 times implicit the portion thrust bounds erstwhile helium died.

An bare vessel of Gordon's gin, 2 bare wine bottles and a fractional bare vessel of whisky were recovered successful Mr Farquhar's home.

The pathologist recorded postural asphyxia, inversion of the assemblage and intoxicant toxicity arsenic the origin of death, which was besides adopted by the coroner.

At the inquest, a connection was work retired from Mr Farquhar's daughter, Victoria, who described his emotion of horses but said that hunts are wherever his drinking occupation began.

"He went to Eton past joined the subject and went to Sandhurst," Ms Farquhar said.

"He became the queen mother's equerry. He said helium was fundamentally the queen mother's bodyguard.

"He was a immense person of horses and would spell connected hunts wherever determination would beryllium a meal afterwards.

"The magnitude of drinking was considered mean for the enactment but arsenic clip went connected we thought helium had a drinking problem.

"He would portion a litre of gin and a mates of bottles of vino successful a day.

"He did effort and halt and helium would for a mates of weeks, doctors advised Ian that if helium did not look aft himself helium would die."

Area Coroner for Wiltshire Ian Singleton recorded a decision of decease by misadventure.

He said that Mr Farquhar had astir apt moved disconnected the furniture successful a "deliberate act" but helium had not intended to die.