The Duke of Cambridge faced backlash from animal right’s activists for exposing his young son, aged seven, to the hunting practice during their trip to Scotland. The pair, along with other senior royals, were on a family holiday in Scotland last weekend when the hunt took place in Corgarff, a short drive from Balmoral.
Nicola Sturgeon herself has long been against hunting, previously taking a stand against fox hunting in First Minister’s Questions.
In 2018, she took a stand on Twitter, writing: “Totally understandable why the images from Islay of dead animals being held up as trophies is so upsetting and offensive to people.
@scotgov will review the current situation and consider whether changes to the law are required.”
However, the royals continued their tradition of hunting on Scottish land this week, with both William and his brother, Prince Harry, having hunted and shot grouse from a young age.
But many royal fans do not agree with the traditional practice.
Some have even taken to Twitter to voice their opinion on the matter.
Mentioning Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, one user wrote: “Not impressed at all. There are other activities he can do with his family.
“That’s one reason the FM @NicolaSturgeon has a fight on her hands when Royalty shoot grouse for fun.”
One Twitter user wrote: “It’s a shame that William doesn’t do it any differently with his son.
READ MORE: Donald Trump shut down by Biden over failure to stop civil unrest
Responding to another user’s comment likening the hunt to going to a supermarket, the same user added: “It’s like farmers and people who live more simpler lives who rear and kill their own animals to eat.
“There’s nothing wrong with killing your own meat to eat, as long as it’s not trophy hunting, killing endangered animals or just done without reason.”
Animal rights group PETA have spoken out about the royals’ hunting trip, arguing that a child witnessing the killing of animals could cause “damage to their psyche”.
The organisation added that watching how it is done could “desensitise George to the suffering of animals”.
