Fur f lies after Kate wears otter skin gift in Canada
THE Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were drawn into a furious row last night after they wore traditional scarves trimmed with the fur of endangered sea otters.
The Royal couple were presented with the decorative scarves as they visited a remote island in British Columbia during the final full day of their Canadian tour.
But the decision to accept the gifts from their hosts, the indigenous Haida community, drew fierce criticism from the charity People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
A spokesman said: ‘Sea otters have been hunted and butchered for their fur so aggressively that they are endangered.
‘Along with most members of the British public who abhor the cruelty of the fur trade, we wish the Royal couple had used diplomacy to make a statement against this unacceptable slaughter instead of accepting scarves made from animals.’
Known as raven’s tails, the scarves are said to be a sign of great respect and are only worn by matriarchs and chiefs. Some critics suggested that the couple should have politely declined the gifts.
Buckingham Palace refused to say last night whether the Royal couple or their staff were given advance notice of the gifts, with a spokesman saying simply: ‘The Duke and Duchess received a warm, traditional welcome from the Haida people.’
A spokesman for the Animal Welfare Party said: ‘To many, Kate and William are trendsetters and we would suggest that this is a missed opportunity to show leadership on an important environmental and welfare issue.
‘Politely declining to wear the gifts, after explaining why, would have been more appropriate.’ On Twitter, reaction was mixed, with one person saying that Canada ‘didn’t need the Royals’ if they were going to wear fur. But a supporter said: ‘They are lovely gifts from people who live from the bounty of the sea.’
At their peak there were more than a million sea otters, but they were shot or clubbed to death for their fur, and worldwide numbers plummeted to around 2,000 in the early 1900s.
Today, there are estimated to be just over 100,000 in the coastal waters off the northern Pacific. They are protected by law, with only ethnic natives allowed to hunt them for food or handicrafts. The otters are usually shot in the head from a boat. The row has cast a shadow over an otherwise successful Canadian tour, with the adorable antics of ‘Kate’s cuties’ – Prince George and Princess Charlotte – winning hearts. But The Mail on Sunday can reveal that the eightday trip, which came to an end yesterday, will be the youngsters’ last overseas tour for some time. Sources close to the Cambridges say their decision to bring their children with them was a ‘oneoff’, and that George, three, and Charlotte, 17 months, are unlikely to accompany their parents on another official overseas tour for several years. ‘Canada worked in terms of bringing the children, but it wouldn’t be practical to take them away on every tour,’ an aide revealed. Another source said: ‘William and Kate are keen to keep the children in a regular routine at home. Prince George starts school next year and so they knew this was really the only chance they would get to bring the children until they are much older.’
The children have been deliberately kept out of the public glare during the tour, with their only official engagement being a children’s party on Thursday at Government House in Victoria.
‘Just because they are in another country doesn’t mean the usual rules don’t apply,’ says a source. ‘William and Kate keep their children out of the spotlight and will continue to do so while they are young wherever they are.’
The family left Victoria just before 4pm local time yesterday after a tour of the harbour aboard a tall ship. A seaplane later took them to a Royal Canadian Air Force jet for the flight back to London.