Prince recovers after fall

Prince Charles riding with a different hunt in 1999

The Prince of Wales is said to be recovering at Highgrove House after he fractured a bone in his shoulder when he fell off a horse during a fox hunt.

He was thrown to the ground when his horse took an "unexpected jump" during a ride with the Meynell Hunt in Derbyshire on Saturday, a St James's Palace spokeswoman said.

The prince, 52, fell awkwardly and, at first, believed he had dislocated his shoulder.

Doctors say the wound will heal itself and the prince is not said to be in any pain, although his arm will be in a sling for a few days.

Royal protection officers, who ride with him, drove him to the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham after the accident.

He's fine - it was a minor injury and it's just inconvenient, that's all

St James's Palace

An x-ray revealed he had broken a small bone on the edge of his shoulder blade, but doctors decided the injury would heal itself.

The palace spokeswoman said: "He's fine. It was a minor injury and it's just inconvenient, that's all.

"He's not in any pain."

On Saturday evening, the prince was said to be comfortable, resting at his Gloucestershire home, Highgrove.

The injury is not expected to interfere with the prince's public engagements, of which he has none in the next week.

It is understood Charles' sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, were riding with the Beaufort Hunt in Gloucestershire at the time.

Polo accident

The accident comes at a time when Prince Charles has been criticised for continuing to pursue his interest in fox hunting against the tide of public opinion.

The BBC's Royal Correspondent Nicholas Witchell said Prince Charles would be accustomed to falling from horses both during fox hunting and while playing polo.

In 1990 he broke his right arm quite badly in a fall during a polo match.

He needed considerable treatment over a protracted period.

Prince Charles's grandmother, the Queen Mother, broke her collar bone in a fall at the beginning of November.

She made her first public appearance since the accident on Christmas Eve, joining members of the Royal Family at a church service at the Sandringham estate in Norfolk.