A royal ship off: Queen Camilla joins Prince William’s ‘past love’ Rose Farquhar at memorial service for King Charles’ shut good friend Captain Ian Farquhar after his demise aged 78

Queen Camilla at present joined 500 mourners at a memorial service for her good friend Ian Farquhar, after the famend horseman and legendary searching determine died aged 78.

Captain Farquhar’s daughter Rose, whom Prince William dated in 2000, was additionally on the service in Badminton, Gloucestershire, along with her husband George Gemmell.

William and his ‘past love’ Rose stay buddies, and he attended her wedding ceremony to former skilled polo participant Mr Gemmell in close by Tetbury in December 2022.

Captain Farquhar, who was additionally shut buddies with King Charles III, beforehand lived on the monarch’s Highgrove property within the county the place he rented a farmhouse.

The Outdated Etonian was discovered lifeless at his residence close to Chippenham in Wiltshire by his carer on the afternoon of March 6 after struggling to breathe, an inquest later heard.

This afternoon, Camilla attended the service to recollect him at St Michael and All Angels’ Church on the Badminton property which is owned by the Duke of Beaufort.

The Queen, who was additionally representing the King, arrived in a green-grey Audi property automotive forward of the service which was officiated by the Reverend Richard Thomson.

Camilla’s first husband Brigadier Andrew Parker Bowles beforehand revealed to the Each day Mail that Mr Farquhar had been sick for some months and described his demise as ‘very unhappy’.

Chatting with the Mail’s diary editor Richard Eden on the time, Parker Bowles described his good friend as ‘wild as a hawk in his youth, however all the time nice enjoyable’.

He additionally mentioned that Mr Farquhar could be ‘judged by historical past as one of many nice Grasp of Hounds’, having been Grasp of the Beaufort Hunt for 34 years.

Parker Bowles additionally described him as ‘an actual countryman, an excellent officer, a courageous beginner rider, a hard-riding polo participant and a very good public speaker’.

Captain Farquhar was born in Dorset in 1945 to a searching household and educated on the unique Ludgrove College close to Wokingham in addition to at Eton.

He then enrolled at Sandhurst for officer coaching and in 1966 was commissioned into the Queen’s Personal Hussars, the place he served as a cavalry officer.

Captain Farquhar, who was generally known as ‘The Captain’, grew to become an equerry to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mom in 1971 and held the publish for 2 years.

He left the Military in 1973 to change into Grasp of the Bicester and Warden Hill Hunt, searching their hounds for 12 seasons.

Captain Farquhar married Pammie-Jane Chafer, with whom he had three daughters – together with Rose. The couple then separated, however in later years rekindled their friendship. 

In 1985, he was invited to change into joint-master and huntsman of the Duke of Beaufort’s Hunt, searching till 2010.

Captain Farquhar was a famend breeder of foxhounds, a vice-chairman of the Masters of Foxhounds Affiliation and was a recognized supporter of the Countryside Alliance.

An inquest at Salisbury on March 20 was advised a autopsy examination had confirmed Captain Farquhar died from postural asphyxia. 

That is when the best way the individual is positioned prevents them from respiration correctly.

Individuals might die from this by chance, when the mouth and nostril are blocked, or the place the chest could also be unable to totally broaden.

Wiltshire Police confirmed there have been ‘no suspicious circumstances’ regarding his demise.

William briefly dated Rose in 2000 after he completed his A-levels at Eton. The pair met on the Beaufort Polo Membership and he or she was described as William’s ‘past love’ on the time. 

The prince and Rose would go on romantic picnics within the Gloucestershire countryside, however their relationship was temporary and he then met Kate at St Andrew’s College.

Now in her40s, the singer-songwriter Rose is mostly thought of the Prince’s first severe girlfriend. 

Regardless of their romance faltering, Rose and William have all the time stayed on good phrases and have typically seen one another at society weddings over time as a consequence of their mutual buddies.

In 2022, William attended Rose’s wedding ceremony to George Gemmel – the stepson of Barbadian constructing tycoon Sir Charles Williams and an aspiring vet.

After courting William, Rose headed to New York the place she studied performing on the Lee Strasberg Institute.

She appeared on The Voice within the UK in 2016 singing for Boy George and can.iam, and took part within the actuality present ‘How Do You Clear up A Downside Like Maria?’ in 2006, which looked for an actress to play Maria Von Trapp on the West Finish’s manufacturing of The Sound of Music.

Following the programme, she went on to obtain a BBC Fame Academy Award to check Musical Theatre and Performing in New York Metropolis.

She now works for the Duchess of Rutland’s Belvoir Fortress in a enterprise growth position In December 2022. 

Nonetheless in society circles, she attended the marriage of William and Kate in 2011, but in addition that of Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan in 2018. 

When the singer tied the knot final December, Prince William was amongst the company toasting to the joyful couple’s nuptials.

He slipped in discreetly via the again door of St Mary the Virgin church in Tetbury, Gloucestershire, to witness her wed her new prince charming: aspiring vet George Gemmell, the stepson of late Barbadian constructing tycoon Sir Charles Williams.

On the time, her father advised DailyMail of her daughter’s groom-to-be: ‘He couldn’t be a extra charming son-in-law for the long run.

‘The Gemmells have been buddies of ours for years. We’re completely delighted.’