King Charles Is ‘Livid’ About Canceling a Controversial Royal Tradition, Says Insider

Every year, royal family members come together for the annual Boxing Day pheasant shoot at Sandringham, but the future of the tradition now stands uncertain. If the reports are true, the royals may have to bid adieu to their favorite activity, and King Charles is less than happy about it. Sources have claimed that the King is allegedly ‘livid’ to hear about not being able to participate in the event. According to The Sun, this is because of a 'series of blunders' that impacted the game bird population.

The tradition saw senior members of the royal family traveling to the Norfolk estate for Christmas and participating in pheasant shooting the next day. Unfortunately, the annual event, which has been a part of the royal heritage for decades, is facing a roadblock this year. A source revealed that the King is very displeased. "The King wasn’t having it," claimed the insider. The birds used in the shooting are raised on-site, but this time around, the estate is left with a tiny population. Per the source, the long-serving gamekeeper has also been sacked over the same. “Let’s just say he’s well and truly plucked off," the source spilled. Even though Charles is devastated by the possibilities of the tradition being 'axed', he is also against importing pheasants from breeders.

Despite the significance the tradition holds for the royal family, it has been widely criticized and protested against for years. Animal rights activist groups, such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), have campaigned against the 'gruesome' event that sees the royals blasting the birds out of the air, in what is one of the very few shoots still operating in the U.K.

While not every royal is eager to participate in the shooting, Prince William is allegedly passionate about it, having experienced his first shoot at 14. His wife, Kate Middleton, has also participated on some occasions. However, when the couple brought their firstborn, Prince George, to the shoot at the age of five, it irked many animal welfare groups. According to the Daily Express, the Vice President at PETA, Mimi Bekhechi, said at that time that it was unethical for a child to witness the casual killing of an animal. “For a child to be compelled to witness such casual killing – and by a parent he looks up to, no less – is potentially as harmful to his or her psyche as it is to the bird's very life.”

Bekhechi further argued that George may get 'nightmares'. She explained, “It can desensitize children to the suffering of animals, which is cause for concern, given the well-established link between cruelty to animals in childhood and antisocial behaviour in adulthood.” She suggested that William and Middleton must teach their son 'respect for all living beings' to help him become a ‘responsible’ and ‘compassionate’ leader.