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 UNTIL recently polo was the passion of Wales' figurehead, the Prince of Wales.
But after more than 40 years of playing the sport, the Prince announced last year that he was to stop playing after a series of injuries.
A Clarence House spokesman said Prince Charles felt the time was right "to bow out gracefully, but regretfully".
"The Prince of Wales will not be playing polo next season," he said. "He made the decision recently to retire from the game after playing for over 40 years."
The heir to the throne has played only in charity matches since 1992, but before that he played competitively in teams across the world.
In 1970 at the age of 23, Charles met his second wife Camilla at a polo match, a meeting immortalised in the famous picture of the couple standing in front of a tree, with Charles dressed in his polo gear.
But the Prince, who recently turned 57, has endured many scrapes as a result of his polo playing.
In August 2001, he was knocked unconscious when his horse threw him off its back during a polo match. He apparently swallowed his tongue after landing awkwardly on the grass. In 1990, he broke his right arm in a fall during a polo match.
His love of polo was passed down to his two sons William and Harry, who Clarence House say will continue to play "as their military careers allowed".
The Prince is estimated to have raised more than £12m through his polo playing and last season raised around £900,000.
So the Prince will not be one of the players at this year's Cardiff Castle Polo Event, which takes place on June 25.
But the high-profile international and celebrity exhibition and polo event, organised by the Ascot Park Polo Club, will attract players such as actress Stephanie Powers and England polo icon Howard Hipwood.
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