The Ledge - Insert Camilla joke here!

Prince Charles pulls out of polo

Prince Charles is giving up polo, one of his favourite pastimes, according to a spokesman.

The office of the heir to the throne, Clarence House, announced Thursday the Royal, who turned 57 this week, "felt the time was right."

It also said he had "regretfully" decided to give up the activity after 40 years.

Many members of the Royal family are avid equestrians. Princess Anne, Charles's sister, competed in the 1976 Olympics as part of the British equestrian team and the 79-year-old Queen still rides regularly.

Charles's sons, William and Harry, both play polo, a team event which pits two teams of mounted players against each other, using mallets to manoeuvre a ball down a large field.

Charles suffers from a lower-back problem and has had to bear many falls from horses since 1980, when he was thrown during a match at Windsor Castle and needed stitches, leaving a scar on his cheek.

He broke his right arm in 1990 during another match and two years later, he had an operation to repair knee cartilage after another polo injury. In August 2001, he was knocked unconscious when his horse threw him during a game.

The Prince was once quoted as saying: "I will go on as long as I bounce when I fall off."

He has played only in charity matches since 1992. Clarence House says Charles just wanted to "bow out gracefully."