King Charles’ longtime friend Ian Farquhar, 78, who served as equerry to the Queen Mother died when he got trapped between wall and his bed while drunk, inquest hears

An old friend of King Charles, who served as the Queen Mother’s equerry, died after becoming drunkenly trapped between a wall and his bed, an inquest heard today.

Old Etonian Ian Farquhar, 78, was found dead with his legs up in the air above his bedside table at his home, a coroner heard.

A coroner ruled the retired army captain, who loved horses and hunting, was probably trying to get out of bed.

Mr Farquhar rose through the ranks of the army as part of the prestigious cavalry regiment the Queen’s Own Hussars, becoming a captain. While in the army, he also served as equerry to the Queen’s mother and attended public gatherings with her.

His daughter Victoria said he drank ‘a liter of gin and a few bottles of wine a day’.

After leaving the army, he was the Master of the Beaufort Hunt, one of the largest and oldest fox hunts in Britain, and he also regularly dined with King Charles and Queen Camilla at their Highgrove residence in Gloucestershire.

The inquest heard that Mr Farquhar struggled with his health in the last few years of his life, being unsteady on his feet and having to use a walking stick, and being unable to pull himself up if he fell.

On March 6 this year, care worker Beth Gillingham arrived for Mr Farquhar’s daily visit and heard no response when she called out to him as she entered his home near Chippenham, Wilts.

Mrs Gillingham went into the bedroom and could only see the former hunter when she looked around the side of the bed and saw him trapped between the wall and his bed.

The caregiver checked for a heartbeat but when she couldn’t find one, she called police who attended the scene and pronounced Mr Farquhar dead just after 1pm.

The inquest at Salisbury Coroner’s Court, Wilts, found that Mr Farquhar’s blood alcohol level was 4.5 times the drink-drive limit when he died.

An empty bottle of Gordon’s gin, two empty wine bottles and a half-empty bottle of whiskey were found in Mr Farquhar’s home.

The pathologist recorded postural asphyxia, body inversion and alcohol poisoning as the cause of death, which was also accepted by the coroner.

The inquest was read out a statement from Farquhar’s daughter, Victoria, who described his love of horses but said his drinking problem started when hunting.

“He went to Eton, then joined the army and went to Sandhurst,” Mrs Farquhar said.

‘He became the Queen Mother’s equerry, he said he was essentially the Queen Mother’s bodyguard.

‘He was a great horse lover and often went hunting with dinner afterwards.

‘The amount of drinking was considered normal for the activity, but over time we thought he had a drinking problem. One day he drank a liter of gin and a few bottles of wine.

‘He tried to quit and he would continue to do so for a few weeks. Doctors told Ian that if he didn’t take care of himself he would die.’

Mrs Farquhar explained that her father suffered from falls in 2022 and the family contacted the care agency Helping Hands, who visited for about an hour a day to provide Mr Farquhar with support and companionship.

Stuart White had a close relationship with Mr Farquhar as his main carer and in a statement he told the inquest that Mr Farquhar would talk about his past but that he missed being able to care for dogs and horses.

Mr White said: ‘I used to visit once a day for an hour, but our visits often lasted longer. He loved to chat, my role was to check on his welfare and general housekeeping duties.

‘Over time he let his guard down, we laughed and joked together, Ian often told me about his past.

‘Ian had moments where he was depressed because he couldn’t do what he wanted to do. He loved taking care of dogs and horses.”

The inquest heard that Mr White was on annual leave when Mr Farquhar died, but went to the house to speak to police when the agency informed him of his death.

Area coroner for Wiltshire Ian Singleton recorded a conclusion of accidental death, saying Mr Farquhar was likely to have left the bed in a “deliberate act” but that he had not intended to die.

Mr Singleton said: ‘Ian lived alone in Church Cottage, he had a history of excessive drinking, he had become unsteady and needed help getting off the floor.

‘On the morning of March 6, Ian was found deceased by a carer between the wall and his bed, with his feet in the air above the bedside table.

“It is unclear how he came to be in that position, but it appears that it was the result of a deliberate act on his part that inadvertently led to his death.

“I offer my sincere condolences to the family for their loss.”