LONDON -- Prince Charles fell from his horse during a polo match Thursday and broke his arm, arousing calls that the heir to the British throne should stop this 'kamikaze pattern' and take up less daring pursuits.
The prince was 'good humored, but in a bit of pain' in the Cirencester Memorial hospital in Gloucestershire, according to a statement from Buckingham Palace.
He was under sedation for a 'nasty break above his right elbow' after tumbling from his steed during a polo match at a nearby venue, the statement said.
News reports said he would undergo surgery. The palace said his wife, the princess of Wales, had been notified, but remained in London.
The prince is a back in the Windsor Park team, and described as a keen and aggressive player. He has sustained minor injuries in other falls and his various antics have caused some concern, particularly a skiing accident in Switzerland two years ago in which he was nearly caught in an avalanche that killed a companion.
'This kind of foolish behavior is unforgivable from someone who is loved and respected as much as he is,' said Harold Brooks-Baker of Burke's Peerage, which charts the genealogy and lifestyles of Europe's aristocracy.
'It must be time for the prince of Wales to realize that he is not immortal,' he said. 'His future subjects, who are well aware of the fact that every prince of Wales this century, save one, was denied the chance of having a coronation and ruling as a monarch, must unite and demand that he reverse this kamikaze pattern.'
The opposing polo team, Hilldon, went on to win the match, 7-6.
