Raj era ivory gong removed from royal exhibition
An antique gong framed by ivory has been removed from a royal exhibition to mark 70 years of India’s independence after it emerged that its display would breach laws and also offend Prince Charles and Prince William, who campaign for a ban on ivory trade.
The exhibition, which began in the sylvan royal country retreat in Sandringham, Norfolk, 180 km northeast of London, runs until October and displays a range of gifts given to the royal family in colonial India.
The gong, which hangs between two elephant tusks around it, was given to Queen Elizabeth’s greatgrandfather in the late 19th century and was used to announce royal dinners.
The gong has been removed from the exhibition after experts pointed out that the Control of Trade in Endangered Species Act bans the display of un-worked ivory for commercial gain (there is an entry fee for the exhibition).
A Sandringham spokesman said: “It is our understanding that items on display at the Sandringham Estate comply with all existing regulation. However, in any case where there is a genuine doubt, the relevant specimen will be removed from display.”
Prince Charles and Prince William have been at the forefront of an international campaign to ban ivory trade. Prince William hit the headlines in February 2014 when he reportedly remarked that he would “like to see all the ivory owned by Buckingham Palace destroyed”.
A royal spokesperson told HT: “All Members of the Royal Family have united around a single, shared purpose – to put a stop to the illegal killing and trafficking of some of the world’s most iconic and endangered species”.
One of the ivory items from colonial India in royal possession (not displayed at the exhibition) is an exquisite throne gifted by the Maharaja of Travancore to Queen Victoria in 1851. It has rarely been seen in public since it was first displayed at the 1851 Great Exhibition in London.