Captain Mark Phillips' eventing company will not have to fight an appeal after a council accepted the firm played no part in the death of a quadbiker at the Princess Royal's estate.

Equiland Limited and its directors Timothy Clayton, of Wallingford, and Timothy Henson, of Lincolnshire had been charged with failing to discharge a duty following the death of a Daniel Brookman, 20, at Gatcombe Park, near Stroud, Gloucestershire.

At Bristol Crown Court last week, Judge David Ticehurst found the charges should be stayed due to "an abuse of process".

Stroud District Council had until yesterday to decide if they would contest the ruling. This morning, prosecutor Ian Dixey announced there would be no appeal.

Defence barrister John Cooper said the case against the firm was "irredeemably flawed".

He said: "There's no doubt that but for the death of Daniel Brookman this prosecution would not have been brought.

"On behalf of Equiland we want to say that our position, and that of Captain Mark Phillips, has always been that Gatcombe Park runs one of the finest equestrian events in the country."

In a written judgment, Judge Ticehurst noted that Stroud District Council, which brought the charges, had itself inspected the premises two days before the tragedy and given it a "clean bill of health".

The case came to court after a health and safety inspection at Princess Anne's Gatcombe estate after the fatal quadbike accident nearly three years ago.

Mr Brookman died when the bike he was riding on flipped over during a high-speed manoeuvre.

The accident happened on August 7 2005 - the last day of showjumping event the Festival of British Eventing, part-organised by Equiland.

Equiland, based at Aston Farm, in Tetbury, Gloucestershire, Mr Clayton, 66, and Mr Henson, 42, of Torksey, Lincolnshire were awarded costs from central funds.

In a statement issued today Equiland's directors, Capt Phillips and his wife Sandy Phillips said: "Last week, after two days of evidence and argument, the Judge stayed the prosecution on the basis that it was unfair and an abuse of process.

"We are very pleased that today, Stroud District Council as a prosecuting authority, have accepted the judge's ruling and will not be appealing his decision.

"This means we can now focus fully on preparations for the 2008 Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe Park, which will be held on August 1 to 3.

"Safety will remain our primary concern. We are proud of our record over the last 25 years and will continue to work with British Eventing, the Health and Safety Executive, Stroud District Council and our safety advisors to maintain the Festival as the flagship for Horse Trials in the country.