King’s friend died after getting trapped between wall and bed while drunk, inquest told

One of the King and Queen’s closest friends died after becoming trapped between his bed and a wall when drunk, an inquest has heard.

Ian Farquhar, 78, an Old Etonian and prominent huntsman, was found with his legs up in the air above his bedside table.

The retired Army captain, a former equerry to Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, had developed a drinking problem in his later years, his daughter Victoria revealed.

She told the coroner: “He would drink a litre of gin and a couple of bottles of wine in a day.”

Salisbury Coroner’s Court heard Mr Farquhar’s blood alcohol level was 4.5 times over the drink-drive limit when he died.

Known to his friends as “the captain”, he was close to both the King and Queen as well as the Princess Royal.

He was a regular visitor to the King’s Highgrove estate in Gloucestershire, where he previously rented a farmhouse.

‘Always great fun’

The Queen and her former husband, Andrew Parker Bowles, were among the 500 guests who turned out to honour him at a memorial service held on the Duke of Beaufort’s Badminton Estate in Gloucestershire in May.

Mr Parker Bowles later described his late friend as “wild as a hawk in his youth, but always great fun”.

Mr Farquhar was also the father of Prince William’s first love, Rose Gemmell, a singer who appeared on the BBC talent show How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria before starring on The Voice in 2016.

The pair remained friends and the Prince attended her wedding to former professional polo player George Gemmell in December 2022.

The inquest heard that in the last few years of his life Mr Farquhar had struggled with his health and had to use a walking stick.

On March 6, care worker Beth Gillingham arrived at his home near Chippenham, Wiltshire, for her daily visit and went upstairs when he did not respond to her calls.

She did not see the former huntsman until she peered down the side of the bed and saw him trapped against the wall.

The carer checked for a pulse but when she could not find one she called the police. Officers attended the scene and pronounced Mr Farquhar dead just after 1pm.

An empty bottle of Gordon’s gin, two empty wine bottles and a half-empty bottle of whisky were found at the property.

The pathologist recorded postural asphyxia, inversion of the body and alcohol toxicity as the cause of death.

‘He did try and stop’

In a statement read to the court, Mr Farquhar’s daughter described his love of horses but said hunts were where his drinking problem had begun.

“He went to Eton then joined the military and went to Sandhurst,” Victoria Farquhar said.

“He became the Queen Mother’s equerry, he said he was essentially the Queen Mother’s bodyguard. He was a huge lover of horses and would go on hunts where there would be a dinner afterwards.

“The amount of drinking was considered normal for the activity but as time went on we thought he had a drinking problem. He would drink a litre of gin and a couple of bottles of wine in a day.

“He did try and stop – and he would for a couple of weeks. Doctors advised Ian that if he did not look after himself he would die.”

Stuart White, Mr Farquhar’s main carer, said he had missed being able to look after dogs and horses.

Ian Singleton, the Area Coroner for Wiltshire, recorded a verdict of death by misadventure, stating that Mr Farquhar had probably moved off the bed in a “deliberate act” that “unintentionally led to his death”.

He added: “I pass on to the family my sincere condolences for their loss.”