Animal rights activists are slamming Prince William for taking his 7-year-old son Prince George hunting. PETA claims that the hunt could “damage” his psyche and “desensitize George to the suffering of animals.”
Last weekend, Prince William, 38, brought his son along on a family trip to Scotland. Prince George watched his father and other British royals spend the morning shooting birds in Corgarff.
Prince William’s wife, The Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, accompanied him on the hunting trip on Saturday. The Duke and Duchess reportedly left their five-year-old daughter Charlotte and two-year-old son Louis at their lodgings.
PETA Director Mimi Bekhechi spoke out about the situation. “Very few people these days view shooting for ‘sport’ as anything other than a violent perversion that hurts and kills beautiful birds who are minding their own business,” Bekhechi says, according to Daily Mail.
Bekhechi continued by saying: “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.”
The PETA Director then spoke about what she sees as the potential impact of a child watching a hunt. “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 – and could give George nightmares,” Bekhechi said.
In conclusion, Bekhechi states, “To help him grow into a responsible, compassionate leader, his parents must teach him respect for all living beings.”
Prince William Hunted Since Childhood
Both Prince William and his brother, Prince Harry, went hunting from a young age. Their mother, late Princess Diana, joked about their enthusiasm for hunting playfully dubbing them her “killer Wales.”
Prince Harry hunted for many years. However, he hunted significantly less since meeting his wife Meghan Markle. Prince Harry did join the Boxing Day pheasant shoot in 2018.
[H/T Daily Mail]
