Edward’s boy joins mum and dad on Royals’ New Year shoot
RAISING his gun, Prince Edward enjoys a New Year pheasant shoot with his wife and son.
In a flat cap, tweed jacket and plus fours, Edward was spotted looking, well, rather Edwardian on the Queen’s estate at Sandringham, Norfolk.
His wife Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, was also clad in country garb, wearing a peaked cap and leather boots and carrying a stick.
Later she was seen holding a gun and wearing ear defenders, suggesting she had taken part in Saturday’s shoot too.
The royal party, which also included the Queen’s grandson Peter Phillips, were photographed in a field next to a public road that runs across the estate and could clearly be seen by passers-by.
Contrary to recent reports that Sophie has banned her husband from taking their son, James, Viscount Severn, with him when he shoots, the eight-year- old happily watched his parents as they took part.
In 2014, Edward was publicly criticised after apparently raising his gun and shooting over the head of the then sixyear- ol d James while at Sandringham.
Buckingham Palace reacted angrily, i nsisting that the ‘perspective’ of the photo was ‘misleading’ and that James was at no time directly in front of his father.
‘Any suggestion that the earl would risk his son’s welfare in any way is simply untrue,’ a spokesman said.
The prince was also cleared of cruelty to animals in 2009 by the RSPCA – which boasts the Queen as its patron – after another set of photographs showed him apparently lashing out at two gundogs with a stick.
An inspector took statements from witnesses and examined the dogs themselves, although the prince himself was not interviewed.
The inspector said afterwards that there was ‘ insufficient evidence’ to support the allegation that he had beaten them.
Buckingham Palace said Edward had simply been trying to break up a fight between the two labradors over a dead pheasant.
Although the Royal Family are all keen shots, aides are sensitive to public criticism over their passion for bloodsports.
This is particularly so in light of their public championing of animal welfare and conservation causes.
In 1961, Prince Philip controversially shot a tiger, a crocodile and six mountain sheep on a three- day hunt i n India, despite protests from British and Indian politicians.
Philip was the first president of the World Wildlife Fund and was also president of WWF International.
He is now the WWF’s president emeritus.
Prince Harry was memorably photographed with a water buffalo he shot on holiday in Argentina in 2004.
And in 2014 Prince William was heavily criticised for flying to Spain to hunt wild boar only a day before he was due to make a public address to end the illegal wildlife trade.
William has, however, gone on to launch a much-lauded campaign to halt the trafficking of endangered species and their body parts.
In similar vein, Harry went to South Africa last year to highlight the critical plight of the rhino.
The League Against Cruel Sports said yesterday that the Royal Family’s continued pursuit of bloodsports was both insensitive and disappointing.