Prince Edward, the youngest child of the Queen, has been condemned after he lashed out at his dogs with a large stick at the Sandringham Royal Estate in Norfolk on Boxing Day.
It is traditional for the British Royal Family to take their Christmas break at Sandringham, and Prince Edward was engaged in a spot of pheasant shooting when he lost his temper and repeatedly lashed at his gundogs.
Prince Dog-Beater: Outrage as Edward repeatedly lashes out at gundogs with a 4ft stick
By Miles Goslett
27th December 2008
Daily Mail
Prince Edward has been accused of animal cruelty after losing his temper and lashing out violently and repeatedly at his gundogs with a wooden stick.
The 44-year-old Prince reacted angrily when he saw two black labradors trying to grab hold of the same dead pheasant during a shoot at the Sandringham Royal Estate in Norfolk yesterday.
He approached the dogs with his shotgun tucked under his arm and a 4ft stick raised menacingly in the air. He then brought it down sharply several times towards them.
One of the dogs ran off and was seen cowering as Edward chased after it and took another swing at it.
Prince Edward with his gundogs on a pheasant shoot on the Sandringham Estate, Norfolk
Last night Andrew Tyler, director of pressure group Animal Aid, said: ‘Hitting out at a dog makes them fearful, traumatised and breaks any bond of trust. It’s not only morally dubious but it’s counterproductive.
'If Prince Edward made contact with either dog, it is a breach of the Animal Welfare Act, which makes it an offence to cause unnecessary suffering to an animal.’
One onlooker said: ‘It looked as if he took about three swipes at this dog with his stick.
‘It happened when Edward was shooting by himself in a field, with Peter Phillips about 200 yards away.
The Prince takes a vicious swipe at his dog
‘At the end of the drive, the dogs went off to pick up the dead birds, but these two dogs looked like they were squabbling over one pheasant.
‘They clearly were not doing what they were supposed to do so Edward took it upon himself to impose some discipline. It was quite a big stick and it would have hurt the dog if it had been hit with any force.’
Barry Hugill, from the League Against Cruel Sports, said: ‘I would not be at all surprised about Prince Edward mistreating a dog. This is a young man who has been brought up to regard it as his right to slaughter and mistreat animals for pleasure.’
Edward outraged animal rights campaigners in December 2005 when he battered to death an injured pigeon which had been shot during a pheasant shoot at Sandringham.
Edward brandishes his wooden stick menacingly, before bringing it down with violent force
Mr Tyler added: ‘It’s about time the Royals got the message that most people regard the shooting of birds for sport as repellent.
‘The public will certainly be no more tolerant of dogs being picked on because they don’t play their obedient walk-on part in this sick spectacle.
‘He certainly appears to have lost his temper and was acting impulsively without restraint.
But we can’t expect high manners in the context of a sport that is about killing animals for pleasure.’
It is not the first time the Royal Family has been accused of animal cruelty. Last year Prince Philip was part of a shoot in which a fox was clubbed to death with a flagpole, and Prince Harry was questioned by police over the illegal shooting of two hen harriers, Britain’s rarest birds of prey.
One of the labradors slinks away, with Edward in pursuit
Eight years ago the Queen was also accused of cruelty after she was photographed wringing the neck of a pheasant at Sandringham.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said last night: ‘I can confirm there were two dogs fighting over a pheasant. Prince Edward did separate them but no harm was done to either dog.’
Other Royals on yesterday’s shoot included Prince William, Prince Andrew, Prince Philip and Princess Anne’s husband Tim Laurence.
Autumn Phillips, the Canadian wife of the Queen’s grandson Peter Phillips, was also there, taking part in her first Christmas shoot with her new relatives.
However, the 30-year-old, who married in May, ventured out without the proper ear defenders, and was forced to protect her hearing from the deafening gunshots by clasping her hands to her ears.
Losing his temper: Edward strides after one of the labradors, who were fighting over the same pheasant
dailymail.co.uk
It is traditional for the British Royal Family to take their Christmas break at Sandringham, and Prince Edward was engaged in a spot of pheasant shooting when he lost his temper and repeatedly lashed at his gundogs.
Prince Dog-Beater: Outrage as Edward repeatedly lashes out at gundogs with a 4ft stick
By Miles Goslett
27th December 2008
Daily Mail
Prince Edward has been accused of animal cruelty after losing his temper and lashing out violently and repeatedly at his gundogs with a wooden stick.
The 44-year-old Prince reacted angrily when he saw two black labradors trying to grab hold of the same dead pheasant during a shoot at the Sandringham Royal Estate in Norfolk yesterday.
He approached the dogs with his shotgun tucked under his arm and a 4ft stick raised menacingly in the air. He then brought it down sharply several times towards them.
One of the dogs ran off and was seen cowering as Edward chased after it and took another swing at it.
Prince Edward with his gundogs on a pheasant shoot on the Sandringham Estate, Norfolk
Last night Andrew Tyler, director of pressure group Animal Aid, said: ‘Hitting out at a dog makes them fearful, traumatised and breaks any bond of trust. It’s not only morally dubious but it’s counterproductive.
'If Prince Edward made contact with either dog, it is a breach of the Animal Welfare Act, which makes it an offence to cause unnecessary suffering to an animal.’
One onlooker said: ‘It looked as if he took about three swipes at this dog with his stick.
‘It happened when Edward was shooting by himself in a field, with Peter Phillips about 200 yards away.
The Prince takes a vicious swipe at his dog
‘At the end of the drive, the dogs went off to pick up the dead birds, but these two dogs looked like they were squabbling over one pheasant.
‘They clearly were not doing what they were supposed to do so Edward took it upon himself to impose some discipline. It was quite a big stick and it would have hurt the dog if it had been hit with any force.’
Barry Hugill, from the League Against Cruel Sports, said: ‘I would not be at all surprised about Prince Edward mistreating a dog. This is a young man who has been brought up to regard it as his right to slaughter and mistreat animals for pleasure.’
Edward outraged animal rights campaigners in December 2005 when he battered to death an injured pigeon which had been shot during a pheasant shoot at Sandringham.
Edward brandishes his wooden stick menacingly, before bringing it down with violent force
Mr Tyler added: ‘It’s about time the Royals got the message that most people regard the shooting of birds for sport as repellent.
‘The public will certainly be no more tolerant of dogs being picked on because they don’t play their obedient walk-on part in this sick spectacle.
‘He certainly appears to have lost his temper and was acting impulsively without restraint.
But we can’t expect high manners in the context of a sport that is about killing animals for pleasure.’
It is not the first time the Royal Family has been accused of animal cruelty. Last year Prince Philip was part of a shoot in which a fox was clubbed to death with a flagpole, and Prince Harry was questioned by police over the illegal shooting of two hen harriers, Britain’s rarest birds of prey.
One of the labradors slinks away, with Edward in pursuit
Eight years ago the Queen was also accused of cruelty after she was photographed wringing the neck of a pheasant at Sandringham.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said last night: ‘I can confirm there were two dogs fighting over a pheasant. Prince Edward did separate them but no harm was done to either dog.’
Other Royals on yesterday’s shoot included Prince William, Prince Andrew, Prince Philip and Princess Anne’s husband Tim Laurence.
Autumn Phillips, the Canadian wife of the Queen’s grandson Peter Phillips, was also there, taking part in her first Christmas shoot with her new relatives.
However, the 30-year-old, who married in May, ventured out without the proper ear defenders, and was forced to protect her hearing from the deafening gunshots by clasping her hands to her ears.
Losing his temper: Edward strides after one of the labradors, who were fighting over the same pheasant
dailymail.co.uk
