Son of peer injured in fall

An RAF Sea King was deployed in the rescue operation

The son of a Conservative peer is recovering in hospital after plunging 50ft down a crag while walking his dog.

Charles Douglas-Hamilton, 22, from North Berwick, East Lothian, was said to be in a "stable and comfortable" condition in Edinburgh's Royal Infirmary.

He suffered a broken collar bone and was said to be in shock after the fall.

Mr Douglas-Hamilton is the son of James Douglas-Hamilton, a Tory member of the Scottish Parliament and former minister in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major.

Firefighters prepared him for the journey to hospital

Mr Douglas-Hamilton is currently on holiday in Sardinia and is said to have spoken to his son by telephone after the accident.

Lothian and Borders Police said the peer's son was with a friend when the accident happened in Edinburgh's Holyrood Park.

A Conservative Party spokesman said: "Obviously we are concerned for Charles' well being and our thoughts are with him and his father.

"He is expected to be discharged soon, possibly even today. He will then return home to be looked after by his family members and there is no need for his father to return."

The injured man was rescued by firefighters using a line and was airlifted from the park by an RAF rescue helicopter before being taken to hospital.

James Douglas-Hamilton, second son of the 14th Duke of Hamilton, lost his Westminster seat of Edinburgh West after the 1997 general election and was made a peer the same year.

He later became a regional MSP for the Lothian region in the Scottish Parliament.