King Charles mourns the loss of longtime friend Captain Ian Farquhar
Captain Ian Farquhar, a longtime friend of King Charles, has reportedly passed away on Charles’ Highgrove estate in Gloucestershire, where the renowned huntsman had rented...Captain Ian Farquhar, a longtime friend of King Charles, has reportedly passed away on Charles’ Highgrove estate in Gloucestershire, where the renowned huntsman had rented a farmhouse for many years.
Discover the royal memories shared by Captain Ian Farquhar and King Charles, as the unfortunate news of His Majesty’s friend’s passing comes as he continues treatment for his cancer.
Captain Ian Farquhar passed away at King Charles’ Highgrove estate
Captain Ian Farquhar was the late Queen Mother’s equerry. An equerry is an officer of the British royal household who attends or assists members of the royal family.
He became the late Queen Mother’s equerry in 1971, staying in the post for two years.
The renowned huntsman was a close family friend of the King and Queen Camilla and sadly passed away at the age of 78 on Wednesday, 6 March 2024.
Farquhar reportedly died at the monarch’s Highgrove estate in Gloucestershire, where he had rented a farmhouse for many years, according to MailOnline’s Richard Eden. The estate’s website says Highgrove is the ‘private residence’ of the monarchs.
Camilla’s former husband, Andrew Parker Bowles, described him as “a real countryman, a very good officer, a brave amateur rider, a hard-riding polo player and an excellent public speaker”.
Beaufort Hunt shared an Instagram post dedicated to the loss of Captain Ian Farquhar, with the caption explaining that he “so brilliantly piloted us for 34 years and passed away peacefully this week.”
The post described the ‘Captain’ as someone who was “supportive, kind and always there with excellent forward-thinking advice for anyone who asked him.”
With a wicked sense of humor, anyone who was lucky enough to be in the company of Captain Ian Farquhar and listen to tales of his extremely varied and adventurous life both in the army and the hunting world “will hold onto those memories forever.”
The caption finishes by stating the Captain’s passions in life were hounds, his family, and dogs and confirms that Farquhar will be hugely missed.
Royal memories of late Captain Ian Farquhar
A source said Ian Farquhar used to go across the fields of the Highgrove estate to meet the monarch for dinner.
After their dinner meetings, the horseman would reportedly abandon his car ‘when it became hopelessly bogged down’ and would instead wait for it to be rescued by tractors.
The news of the royal family’s close friend Mr Farquhar’s death comes at a difficult time amid King Charles’ cancer treatment and the Princess of Wales’s recovery from abdominal surgery.
Captain Ian Farquhar was educated at Ludgrove and Eton. He served in the UK, Middle East, Aden, and the Far East with the Queen’s Own Hussars.
In 1972 the Captain married Pamela J Chafer and the couple shared three daughters.
Their youngest daughter, Rose Farquhar, reportedly dated Prince William in 2000 after he completed his A-Levels at Eton.
Later on in 2018, Rose was a guest at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s royal wedding in 2018. In December 2022, Prince William in turn attended Rose’s nuptials to George Gemmell in Gloucestershire.
After becoming the Queen Mother’s equerry, he became joint-master and huntsman of the Duke of Beaufort’s Hunt in 1985, only retiring as a huntsman in 2010 and remaining a joint-master until 2019.
In 2023, Mr Farquhar published his memoir titled The Way It Was about his life and work.
