Tom PowellROCK legend Brian May has slammed Princes William and Harry for a hunting trip in Cordoba, where they shot wild boar and stags.
The trip to the Duke of Westminster’s exclusive estate La Garganta, near Conquista, came just days before William launched a campaign to highlight poaching and the illegal wildlife trade.
The 66-year-old former Queen guitarist described the trip as inhumane and illogical and said it showed that the royals were out of touch.
“This is right at the heart of the problem we are looking at in this government,” he said.
“It’s the whole attitude of the privileged classes, you can rescue rhinos and elephants in Africa but kill anything at will if you’re rich.
“It’s not logical, justifiable or humane and is the same as people in the 19th century trying to justify slavery.”
William and Harry flew separately flew into Sevilla before leaving for the estate with friends and some Scotland Yard protection officers.
The brothers have been shooting at least once a year at the enormous estate on the border of Castilla La Mancha.
Contained within the 40 mile perimeter – patrolled by armed guards in 4x4s – the finca has its own private train station, petrol station and accommodation for 100 staff.
It became controversial some years ago when the Duke cut off 13 public tracks into the estate and managed to divert a toll motorway away from the estate and onto neighbouring land.
i take it mr may is a vegan?….otherwise his opinion counts for nothing
It’s your opinion that counts for nothing – pull your neck in.
The same silly vegan argument in favour of bull-baiting, has been put forward many times on this forum. That’s just what it is. Silly. Abusing animals for fun has no justification.
gentleman,sorry i mean stefanjo,i take it the boars and stags were eaten?if so ,or they were causing damage and had to be controlled, whats the prob? and i take it you are both vegans?? a big PR mess for the royals but other than that suck a salad stuart!!
Brian has articulated what many of us must have felt over this story and good on him. The spectacle of the English royals posing as saviours of endangered species whilst at the same time giving vent to their pre-historic bloodlust of shooting boar and deer (or perhaps us out-of-control serfs) is the absolute height of hypocrisy. Obviously wild boar and deer can get out of hand and have to be controlled using professional and humane marksmen/women culling the old and weak or by introducing wolves – the natural predators. Most of us vegans do understand about the balance of nature. But for heirs to the English throne – especially the sons of the sainted Diana – to be seen as bloodsport killers whilst espousing hypocritical ‘save the planet’ themes, enhances the movement to eradicate monarchy in favour of democratic republicanism. Here in Spain the publicity surrounding the Spanish monarch’s elephant shoot has strengthened the popular calls for the return of the republic.
As much as I love May, he couldn’t be more wrong. He might as well say that anyone who isn’t a vegan in 2014 is ‘out of touch’. I live in Spain and we have Wild Boar on our land. Of course we bloody well hunt them. Firstly, it is the tastiest meat on the planet. That argument should be enough. Secondly, they run rife! They are pests you idiot! If we didn’t hunt them they would run riot and there is far too much agriculture around here to allow that. they must be controlled and they must be eaten! seriously, ‘humanity’ if that should even be a word, doesn’t even come into it. in fact, when we go hunting I advise my fellow hunters to shoot only the kids, that way the sows keeping producing. its simple really. only ignorant morons look at things from an emotional perspective, not the rational one that see’s hunting as a way of both controlling the environment and feeding the population. and i tell you the boar killing parties are great for everyone invited. i hope Wills and Harry had a splendid time!
Too many wild boar, no too many bipeds like you Nick – would’nt it be nice to hunt bipeds like you, now that is hunting I’m all for but I would’nt use a gun, a spear to bring you down and stand back and watch the dogs having lunch.