Princes shocked as polo club chief dies in helicopter crash

Charles Stisted, 47, was the chief executive of the Guards Polo Club, which was set up by the Duke of Edinburgh in 1955, in the Great Park at Windsor.

Clarence House last night confirmed that Mr Stisted was one of the men that died when a helicopter came down in the remote Mountains of Mourne in County Down on Saturday afternoon.

A Clarence House spokeswoman said: "The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall, Prince William and Prince Harry are all shocked and deeply saddened by this terrible tragedy.

"Their Royal Highnesses' thoughts and prayers are with the families of those killed at this dreadful time."

There were reports last night that the helicopter's owner, Ian Wooldridge also died in the crash.

The Agusta helicopter was believed to be heading back to the UK from St Angelo airport in County Fermanagh, where the passengers had been on a hunting trip, when it crashed at about 4pm at the mountainous Leitrim Lodge picnic area near Hilltown.

Mountain rescue teams, the coastguard and other emergency services were alerted when a member of the public reported seeing the helicopter in distress, however it soon became clear that no-one had survived the impact.

After a lengthy recovery operation, police confirmed that the pilot and his two passengers were killed.

South Down MP Margaret Ritchie said: "The local community is in absolute shock, but their thoughts are with the families and friends of the victims. Their thoughts and prayers are with them. What should have been a happy occasion has ended in tragedy."

The leader of the nationalist SDLP visited the teams working at the crash site yesterday. She praised their efforts and said they had faced a tough task accessing the top of Eagle Mountain where she said the crash took place.

Mr Stisted had been chief executive of Guards Polo Club for more than ten years. It is Europe's largest polo club, boasting some of world's best players as members, as well as some of the Royal Family. Prince Philip is its president.

Mr Stisted has worked at the club since 1989. Recently he oversaw its redevelopment and the opening of the new Club House by the Queen in 2009.

The Mournes area is internationally renowned for its picturesque scenery. The mountain range, set on the coastline of south County Down, is designated as an area of outstanding natural beauty.

But changeable weather patterns along the coast and the presence of the mountains have led to tragedy in the past.In June last year, three men were killed when their light aircraft crashed into a field near a private landing strip at Kilkeel, County Down.

The pilot, Hugh McKnight, who was a 53-year-old former police officer, was returning from the TT races in the Isle of Man with Andrew Burden and Stephen Annett, both aged 24.

The coastal community has also been hit by a series of fishing tragedies.

In 2002 the Tullaghmurray Lass fishing boat sank near Kilkeel claiming the lives of three members of one family including an eight-year-old boy.