Prince Charles has finally hung up his polo stick

Nov 18, 2005, 15:05 GMT

Britain's Prince Charles has finally hung up his polo stick after more than 40 years of playing the sport.

The heir to the British throne - who was 57 this week - reportedly feels he is too old to carry on playing.

A spokesman said: "The Prince of Wales will not be playing polo next season. He made the decision recently to retire from the game after playing for over 40 years.

"He felt that the time was right. He decided to bow out gracefully, but regretfully."

The royal took up the game in the 1960s and has played in hundreds of competitive and charity matches.

At the height of his polo career, he was ranked in the world's top ten players.

Despite his expertise, Charles has suffered many injuries since taking up the sport.

In 1980 he collapsed at the end of a match in Florida and had to be put on a saline drip.

That same year he received six stitches in his cheek after being thrown during a match at Windsor.

Ten years later he broke his right arm during a fall, then, in 1992, he had an operation to repair his knee after another injury.

John Lloyd of Cirencester Park Polo Club, near Charles' Gloucestershire estate Highgrove, hopes he will still take an interest in the sport now he has quit.

He said: "We will be glad to welcome him back as a spectator."

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