Prince William is still trying to reconcile his love of hunting and his conservation work

Prince William

Prince William is still trying to reconcile his love of hunting and his conservation work

by katemiddletonreview159 Comments on Prince William is still trying to reconcile his love of hunting and his conservation work

Prince William gave an interview to ITV to promote his work with wildlife conservation and his United for Wildlife Transport Taskforce declaration signing. And just like in February 2014 when William went boar hunting with Jecca Craig the weekend before a week filled with conservation efforts, William still does not understand how allowing some hunting while condemning others is not a good PR move. William is still trying to justify his love of hunting while also trying to save the rhinos so his kids will have something fun to look at.

William ITV interview
[ITV screengrab]

You can watch William’s six-minute interview with Mark Austin here. I’ve transcribed William’s words here:

    On the timeline for saving the rhinos, etc: “We’ve reached a whole new phase where, if current trends and statistics are correct which they seem to be headed that way, then we are looking at no more rhinos, no more elephants there won’t be any of those particular iconic species roaming the African plains in the wild. In the next five to ten years, if there is not a massive change, a dramatic change in the way we appreciate and protect these iconic species in Africa there won’t be these incredible animals there which not only is obviously sad for future generations but it would be incredibly devastating for humanity itself when we have sat back and lost something we’ve been responsible for. If we haven’t achieved something within the next five to ten years then we will be almost impossible to do anything after that because the numbers will be so depleted, the damage will have been done so badly, and clearly the demand won’t have been halted.”
    On poaching’s link to terrorism: “There are possible links to terrorism that are involved with poaching. It’s a very difficult subject for me to get involved in, but there is definitely evidence out there. In certain areas there is potential evidence and links that I can’t go into myself but I know of that are of a concern that I think we should be taking more urgent action on.”
    Some commercial hunting is okay: “There is a place for commercial hunting in Africa as there is around the world. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea. But the argument for regulated, properly controlled commercial hunting is that the money that goes from shooting a very old, infirm animal goes back into the protection of the other species. So when one is infertile, he’s at the end of his life, if somebody out there wants to pay that money, and it wouldn’t be me, but if somebody did, then as long as that money goes back into the protection of the species then it is a justifiable means of conserving species that are under serious threat. And that isn’t just me talking that is a lot of eminent conservationists out there who truly believe there is a balance to be had here and of course it is a fine balance and it does involve a lot of regulation.”
    On George and Charlotte: “I would definitely like to see George and Charlotte in Africa, I think they’d have a wonderful time, and I can see George being a bit of a bum sometimes out in the conservation world with his bangles and his sandals, but um I think I would love them to be interested in the subject and pursue the same sort of ideas and aims that I am.”
    On the claims he’s ‘work-shy’: “Well these sorts of things take a lot of time, they take a lot of planning and a lot of knowledge building, a lot of conversations. I didn’t want to get to 45, 50 and sit back and say you know what I could have said something about that issue but I didn’t because I was worried about what people thought or people said.”
    On facing criticism: “It’s part of the job, Mark.”
    William deflects the ‘work-shy’ probe: “Today is more about talking about the poaching crisis. And I want to turn around to my children and my friends and talk to other people my age and having known that we have truly made a difference, we have fixed something, we have given hope to the future and that should give everybody a lift and realize that there is hope, that we can fix stuff.”

I have several comments. First: I can understand William’s point about how commercial hunting of the oldest animals is okay since those animals are close to death and are not contributing to the species anymore anyway. However, calling for an end to the wildlife trade and then claiming some commercial hunting is okay in the same interview confuses the message. That’s like saying “I’m trying to lose 100 pounds so I’m going to eat completely clean and healthy with no junk food, but it’s okay if I have a cheat day every once in a while”. Not really. You may want that cheat day, and it may help keep you eating healthy the rest of the time, but it’s still putting extra calories and extra sugar into your system which you want to get rid of if you’re trying to lose weight. If William wants to break people of their game hunting, poaching, and animal parts trade habits, then he needs to have a hard stance on it – go cold turkey – not allow it in some cases, because that confuses the message and will allow people to continue their pursuit of those endangered animals instead of stopping the pursuit of them altogether.

Second: While I agree that killing animals for their parts should be banned moving forward, I disagree with William’s supposed stance on older pieces of ivory artwork. Those pieces are hundreds, often thousands, of years old and should be preserved as priceless pieces of history. Just because we want something to change moving forward doesn’t mean what is already in existence should be destroyed.

Third: Parents always have an idea of what they want their children to be like, and children don’t always agree. I think it will be hilarious if and when George and Charlotte grow up and can’t care less about Africa. Not because I don’t think conservation is important, but because it will be funny when William’s kids don’t care at all about what he wants them to care about.

Fourth: Criticism is part of all jobs. In any job you have, your boss is always judging your performance and critiquing you on it. For most of us, either we take that critique to heart and change the way we perform our jobs, or we get fired. It seems William just ignores it as “haters gonna hate”. And unfortunately for the British taxpayers, he can’t be fired.

Fifth: William’s whole approach to this issue still seems to be about humanity’s enjoyment of these species, rather than what the loss of these species will do to the environment, etc. No one cares if your rich, entitled kids can’t go hang with the elephants and rhinos when they’re older, William. What does the loss of these species actually mean to the bigger picture?

Yesterday, March 15, Prince William was joined by William Hague and leaders of the global transportation industry to sign the United for Wildlife Transport Taskforce Buckingham Palace Declaration. The Buckingham Palace Declaration is “a landmark agreement committing to take real steps to shut down the routes exploited by traffickers of the illegal wildlife trade moving their products. The declaration takes steps to remove the vulnerabilities in transportation and customs to tackle the criminals currently exploiting them.”

William gave a speech, saying in part:

    “The signatories to this declaration represent a diverse group of nations, industries, and backgrounds. What unites us all is an understanding of the real gravity of the poaching crisis. We have faced up to the fact that if current trends continue, the last wild African elephants and rhinos will be killed before my daughter Charlotte reaches her 25th birthday.
    “We have accepted that if we let some of our most iconic species go extinct on our watch, our collective confidence to tackle any conservation or environmental challenge will take a massive blow. And we have accepted that the poaching crisis is not just a tragedy because of the impact it is having on animals, but because of its effect on some of the most vulnerable people on our planet.
    “Poachers and traffickers are bringing brutal violence into desperately poor parts of the world. Two rangers are dying every week trying to protect these animals. Communities are seeing their long-term livelihoods extinguished as the species they rely on to attract tourists begin to disappear from their regions. Committed public servants in law enforcement, customs, ports and highways are seeing their work undermined by the corruption that traffickers leave in their wake. We are here today because we have faced up to these facts. But more importantly, we are here today because we have faced up to our responsibility to do something about it.”

[full transcript here]

I kind of take back part of what I said above. It seems William does understand that saving these endangered species is about more than just his kids’ personal pleasure.

William signing declaration
[Kensington Palace @KensingtonRoyal]


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159 thoughts on “Prince William is still trying to reconcile his love of hunting and his conservation work”

  1. I’m surprised Will doesn’t talk more about how the loss of rhinos and elephants in Africa will affect the ecosystem. That seems like a no brainer. Talking about that, especially in regards to the food chain and how it will affect other species, seems like it would make more of an impact than just stating how iconic they are. And how he wants his kids to see them (which makes him sound spoiled and only cares about things superficially). Do some research! Once again he feels like he is half assing this. He should be well informed with facts at this point if this is really a passion for him. Especially since he has been so involved for so many years. His answers feel so broad. That is not the way to get people to act. Help them see how devastating losing these animals will be-that’s the way to get people involved and caring!!! And his work shy excuse is just that. … an excuse.

    He is in the perfect position to cause change and get people to listen. But once again, he isn’t really focused. It just seems like when he is 50 and those animals are extinct, he will say ‘at least I tried’. Never realizing the potential he has

    1. I’m never sure if he’s half assing or just not very bright. I suspect it’s a combination of the two. His stance on conservation and hunting reminds me of a vegetarian who only eats beef. The bit about criticism of his work ethic is telling. “It’s part of the job” means he doesn’t take it seriously – it just washes over him. Get a clue, William.

  2. I agree with most of what you say but not point one. If old and sick animals need to be culled then it should be done quietly by experienced game wardens. To make it a sport for the enjoyment of the rich few just gives others a perceived right to do it too. As soon as you see photos of the likes most recently of Trumps son with his trophy kill you lose all and any credibility when stating that ‘ normal’ people can’t do it. If these super rich love Africa get them involved and donating for saving the animals not killing them. And why does Will think it is so awful to kill an elephant or rhino but it’s ok for him to shoot hundreds of birds that he won’t eat, or go boar hunting for fun. This idiot makes me so angry I am spitting.

    1. Not to mention being hunted and shot is a horrible way to die. Those animals, even if sick, are all probably running for their lives away from the hunters. They are probably scared and actually being sick makes it worse. It makes me sick thinking about it and how frightened they must be with no escape. Just because they are of no use anymore doesnt mean they should be hunted for fun! Let them die in peace. Will’s attitude is a contradiction, you can’t have it both ways. But of course he will defend the rich doing it and justify it since the money helps the younger animals. Why can’t the rich just donate instead of hunting dieing animals?

      Hmmm kind of reminds me of a certain dictator who justified killing the sick and old since they had no use anymore. And it would better society! Not a good person to be compared to William!

      1. That’s funny that you compare William to Hitler, because I compared William to Hitler when William made his ivory comments in 2014. The comparison being that Hitler also destroyed artwork he didn’t like and/or didn’t fit his worldview.

      2. William and Hitler have parallels. Not the extremes, but certainly many awful and ignorant traits.
        Mostly IMO tied to megalomania.

        Overit
        What gets me about those bird hunts… They clip the wings. So, it’s not even fairish. The bird is actively trying to engage an instinct for survival and cannot. Which has been shown to induce a panic. Like if you tried to run, but you could barely jog.

        He’s not awful for hunting. He’s awful for being wateful and encouraging farms like this to mistreat animals for enjoyment of ending their lives.

        If nothing else. Optics. Someone tell him what that means.

        1. I didn’t know they clipped the wings! I knew the trophy hunting was bad, but even the regular hunting trips he goes on sound bad too. The birds stand no chance! How is that really fun for ‘hunters’ since you are not really hunting. It’s not true Hunting when the prey has no chance of getting away. And they are only hunting for fun not food.

          1. + 1
            For me, any hunting is atrocious. The irony is that amongst hunters, killing for fun is considered as love of nature!

        1. Hitler’s legacy is polarizing. However, it’s not extreme IMO. No one is saying all Hitler did was mass murder and so to compare him to anyone is to compare their faults with mass murder.

          Hitler did a lot. A lot of errors. A lot of foolish entitled behavior. A lot of similar context with William. This can also be applied with many interchangable historical figures.
          I think it can be often overlooked the smaller controlling behaviors Hitler did because people jump straight to the top of the pile.
          If that makes sense.

          1. I abject the comparison of William to Hitler. The atrocities committed by his henchmen are unspeakable.

          2. There is separation between the extremes of Hitler and how he was subtle enough in the beginning. Not at all saying that is William’s future BTW. Just that too often we jump to end game extremes forgetting or omitting earlier facts.

            That said this is a red button topic where emotions will blind so I’m stepping back.

    2. I agree, Birdy. I did not say I agree with William on that point, just that I can understand where he’s coming from.

      1. And if we are talking about getting rid of lives that make no further contribution I wonder where we should start, William? (Just for the record I DO NOT mean that literally, but honestly this boy child just doesn’t get it.) I agree with you Overit, the issue is about the whole of the ecosystem, when a major predator is removed or a tiny dung beetle the overall effect can be equally devastating. And ugly animals are just as vital to the eco systems as the beautiful beasts that William talks about.
        Sorry I can feel a whole day of ranting coming on I am just so angry.

        1. Exactly, perhaps we should start shooting humans when they are past their reproductive age and contributing nothing.
          I mean, come on, this is such an awful way to justify killing. I just feel so angry. I absolutely loathe this man. Just because a creature may be old and not reproducing, they are part of an ecosystem. We don’t kill things because they are old and past their use-by-date. I am so disgusted. I need to stop typing and go and calm down.

          1. moocow, William seems to be unaware that, like in human society, in many wildlife communities old age equals wisdom.

            Old female elephants play a ‘granny’ role in the herd. They help the younger, less experienced mothers raising their babies. In wild boars an old female leads the group. She even influences birthrates by discouraging uncontrolled breeding, much to the benefit of a healthy offspring.

            Mr Cambridge knows nothing about nature and her complexities. Many hunters don’t. It’s all about the bag.

          2. Thank you so much HyacinthBucket for the important information. For one example I forgot that the older elephants are wisdom personified ….the elephants do grieve for the death of their kin and have a death ritual.

          3. Kat, I love animals and nature. I eat meat, nature made us omnivores, but I try to buy from farmers I know. Unfortunately man is the only species which hunts and kills for fun.

      1. Just going to weigh in here. Where I’m from, people are issued tags to hunt deer, moose, elk, caribou, bear etc except for the indigenous who I believe have no sanctions on their hunting. Anyone I know who hunts does it for the end product….it’s food. Back in the day, this is how people survived. The pioneers went out and foraged. I have no problem with this kind of hunting, we are in the land of plenty when it comes to wildlife BUT I’m completely against trophy hunting. I’m pretty sure the richies aren’t breaking down that tiger or rhino into jerky, pepperoni, stew meat etc to enjoy throughout the winter. They want the head and some even don’t want that. A picture beside the dead prize is often all they require. Wasteful and despicable

        1. There is also the fact that cecil the lion falls into the category of old/sick/infirm that william thinks is ok to trophy hunt. Yet in the next breath, after the reporter makes that connection for him, he declares the hunting of cecil appalling…….too dim to make the connection that trophy hunting was the reason old cecil was hunted.

          Further he is parroting the justifications all those governments that give out licences’ justification for the animals to be hunted. Never seeing that the licences only enrich the government cronies and companies – it’s as if he didn’t pay any attention when chelsy was being dragged for her family’s involvement in the issue or perhaps he doesn’t pay attention when Jecca speaks because she doesn’t advocate trophy hunting as a means of culling animals and i hope to goodness this wasn’t the message Harry brought back from his time in Africa.

          Really, he is so,so dim. I’m genuinely wprried for George and Charlotte. Let’s all hope that a double dose of stupid will cancel out in these off spring and they will actually be instinctively more intelligent than the parents.

  3. Thank you for this balanced post, KMR. I was seething with anger at the entitled and arrogant fop yesterday. I know a bit about trophy hunting, my husband hunts and we have flaming rows about the issue. For me it is absolutely ok to hunt for meat. I totally agree, that it is much more in line with a life as part of nature when an animal lived the life for which it was designed and then is killed in an instant as opposed to the extended suffering of farm animals.

    Trophy hunting is about some atavistic need to be master of nature and decorate your world with the proof that you mastered something stronger than you are. It is usually left out of the equation that hunting with a high power rifle from the safety of a car or stand is hardly very brave. When cave men took on saber tooth tigers with flint knives, I can understand they were proud to have survived the experience. In today’s day and age the hunt for trophies is a sign that you value your pleasure above the existence of others and do it from your own comfort and safety zone, too. It won’t go down well with the British people, too. The British love animals and don’t suffer fools well.

    Cambridge’s brushing off of criticism is arrogant at best and could be called rude, his “ideas” about his kids future sound like “none of your business, so I’m going to say some BS to satisfy your curiosity”. Cambridge is shallow and public school arrogant. He will have to swallow his pride and get some humble service for his country and position going, or he will be the end of the monarchy.

    Excuse the rant. I am still mad.

    1. Agreed! He’s not the sharpest tool in the shed, coupled with his arrogant entitlement…I don’t think he truly knows what his stance is, I feel he’s giving a mixed message.

      1. It’s interesting that you bring up not being the sharpest tool in the shed. I’ve regularly wondered how *actually* intelligent he and Harry are. They went to great school, I get that. Schooling alone does not make one intelligent. He doesn’t seem to be able to have deep conversations about issues, which to me exhibits an aversion to studying and learning.

        1. I think he would have great speech writers, I don’t think he kept to the speech though. He contradicted his message by advocating for commercial hunting. Throughout his high school & uni years it was reported that he wasn’t a high academic achiever, not sure about Kate. I think part of his problem is that he is bone lazy, his whole life he has known he has his future position of King to fall back on, so there’s no need to commit to anything else. I think Kate follows his lead, I think she would do more if he did and encouraged her to.

    2. I agree HB – I eat a little meat I wear leather…but killing an animal for fun and entertainment is just all kinds of wrong to me. Killing an animal for a trophy, be it a stuffed head, a skin a tusk or just a great photo on social media is just all kinds of hell to me.

      1. +1. Also, William comes across as an old time BS’er. Like he has been doing it from childhood, got away with it and continues to this day.

    3. The one thing that stuck out to me in what William said was the complete falsehood of the statement that it’s okay to have commercial hunts which only kill old animals. That’s malarky. Commercial hunts are trophy hunts . . . people who pay big bucks to go stalk and kill animals. It’s done legally. But William tried to spin it in such a way as to make it a mercy killing, and it’s not that. As lovelolaheart asked earlier today, #WhereisJason? This makes William look really stupid, or naive, or both.

  4. The signing of the United for WTTBPD is a step to the right direction. For that I have to give William credit. I think his speech was much better thought out than his interview. It points out effects on the environment, the communities and the bigger picture. The interview? Not convincing at all. What a paradox from a hunter to try to put across conservation issues, which shows in his clashing argument for some commercial hunting. Maybe he’s not the right spokesman for that issue, after all. He has to walk the talk.
    Another thing I don’t understand is his constant reference to his children, as it is a matter of global concern whether George & Charlotte will be enjoying African elephants. And please, no more projecting George’s likings when he grows up! His future “careers” according to his parents have become a joke.
    I hear they’re losing the battle at Congo’s Garamba National Park against elephant poachers.
    Thank you for another excellent post and for bringing the issue to the fore, KMR.

    1. William envisions george the bum and Kate is already telling kids they might eventually meet king george.

      They are both arrogant and delusional.

    2. He signed a sheet of paper. He barely does anything for the cause, never mind his shameless behaviour regarding animals. What effect is he really having? He just wanted to make it sound like he really works. It was all about him.

      He’s going to raise his kids to slaughter innocent creatures as well. I don’t care what they will miss out on. Again, all about him.

      He’s a pinata stuffed with platitudes. Someone needs to take a real whack at him (metaphorically speaking).

      2. +2000; Yes he read a speech but we don’t know if he really works about that. Or rather we know….
        But if we look on Kensington Palace twitter, there is not contest of likes between William’s conservation and Harry’s IG.
        I think that he is not very loved by the people.

    3. If anything the deep disconnect between his speech and interview shows just how clueless he is. It is clear that his speech was written for him while the interview was all him and his wonky “logic”.

    4. The fact that he gave a great speech YET was unable to hold an basic conversation on the subjects speaks to his ability to read speeches, not to absorbing any information from the speeches. Wlllaim Hague is a super bright operator who is very goal oriented and who gets results. He always brings in the celebrity guns AFTER the project is a done deal and it needs celebrity gold dust to give it higher media visibility.

      He did the same thing wilth Angelina Jolie and war crimes. All kudos should go to William Hague and his team. Not to william beyond an ability to read speeches.

      Ps:Angelina is at least invested in her humanitarian interests enough to actually actually speak knowledgeably on the subject such yhat when we are told that she’s reading/researching behind the scenes, we can bilieve it.

  5. Truly, I respect him less and less.

    Hopefully he’ll abdicate & Parliament will do same for G&C so they can go & bum around Africa together to their hearts content.

    Awful man, Prince or not.

    1. He doesn’t want that for George; he wants it for himself, to bum around Africa without expectations yet supported by the taxpayers.

      Ironic, too, that he wants his kids to be as interested as he is in this faux “cause” while he shows little respect or interest in the legacy of the Prince’s Trust. I hope karma hits him hard.

      5. Wow, all of you are so spot-on!

        And I think he’s always held a special spot for Jecca. Higher ups probably told him that arrangement would never work.

  6. i think an issue that hasn’t been touched on enough, it’s taboo, is the fact William is not very bright. I recall reading somewhere his grades at school and uni level are quite average?

    He can’t say the right things about conservation or Brexit or whatever because he’s simply not very smart. The press have been too polite to point out how dim he is.

    2. Never worry, he has a high enough opinion of his own intelligence, he went to university afterall…?

      He really thinks that way yet it’s obviously clear to everyone that he poses not one iota of intelligence and several people who were st st andrews have posted repeatedly on blogs that his degree was a done deal the minute he agreed to attend university.

  7. I think it would be hard to be both a conservationist and a “trophy” hunter (actually any kind of hunting). It seems like a mixed message. This subject is not easy to read about.

  9. The prepared speech is way better than the interview. One thing I cannot understand about William is how he can make such easy mistakes with PR…when asked about his kids why on earth is he envisioning George as a bum with bangles and sandals? I think he’s attempting humor, but it falls so flat. First, it makes him sound elitist, like some 1960s senator scoffing at “those hippies”. Secondly, it’s another odd veiled criticism of his son. It would be so easy to say “Of course I hope George and Charlotte take interest in my work, and learn a lot about conservation. I believe the topic will be of great concern to this upcoming generation.” Instead he gave a flippant comment. Sigh.

    1. George is always being put in a negative light by his dad. Even, if he is joking. George as a bum roaming around Africa? That is terrible!

      And, it’s all about his kids. They won’t be able to see these creatures when they are adults if we don’t stop the poaching now. It’s all about his family. Never about the world at large.

      And, I agree with the sane and compassionate approach to putting the elderly, sick animals out of their misery. Not hunting, please. By a game warden, who supposedly and hopefully will be compassionate.

      This subject actually turns my stomach. I cannot abide hunting as a sport.

    2. I agree with you Anne. I first read a transcript of the interview (thanks KMR!) and then watched the linked video. When read, William’s comments come across as an unsuccessful attempt at humour at best, and at worst, stupid and meaningless. However, the tone that he uses in the interview make me feel that he really thinks “the conservation world” is made up of bums who wear sandals and bangles. Imagine the headlines if David Cameron had said what William did: “Richard Leakey is Tree-hugging Hippy! say Dave”.

      Or maybe William is taking yet another dig at Harry?

      And now for a bit of a rant…

      There is a lot written about William’s (and Kate’s) university education – that they must both be fairly bright to have undergraduate degrees. I disagree. I have an undergraduate degree in nursing (Bachelor of Science). I did well at Uni with a course average of 83 (just quietly, I’m pretty proud of my results). There were others though, who scraped through with passes (50-60%), or conceded passes (45-50%).

      These people earned the same degree as I did, and now work as nurses, just as I do. And they’re very good nurses. I am not saying that they’re thick: most students had to balance study with work and family commitments and sometimes grades suffer. What I am saying is that you don’t necessarily have to be super-bright to get a pass for most university undergraduate degrees.

      I don’t think William and Kate are particularly bright. For university-educated people, they certainly show an inability to conduct their own research (or even to read someone else’s!) – William’s “someone told me…” jaw dropper comes immediately to mind, as do Kate’s vague mumblings about knife crime during a meeting with a suicide survivor.

      Members of the Royal Family seem to be engaged in a PR war against each other. William could have said his (and Harry’s) passion for conservation and the environment was fostered by his grandfather and father, and how he and his wife hoped to pass that knowledge onto their children, who in turn would use their positions for good, as he is trying to do. But, no mention of Philip, Charles, Harry or Kate, just, as Anne says, a flippant comment. Double sigh Anne.

  10. As far as the rest of the interview, again he missed the warning bells for PR. A question about trophy hunting? Ding, ding! That’s going to be bait for the press, and he seems unaware. He needed to say it was a controversial and debated subject in the world of conservation, and that there have been experts in the field who have thoughtfully argued for either position. That’s it. Move on to the next question. Instead, he entangles himself. He did seem to hear the warning bell on the question of terrorism, saying there has been some evidence on the link, but he cannot really comment on it (it would be seen as him being too political). Also, on the work question, why not talk about the actual document signed yesterday? What it said, how important it is, acknowledge the teamwork that went into that? He missed an opportunity there. That’s how I see William…missing easy opportunities, making easily avoidable errors…I like him being involved with this cause, but he really needs to learn, and learn quickly, how to best advocate for the cause. Somehow, the interview ended up being more about him than the issue. He needs to learn how to gently guide the interviewer’s spotlight onto the subject matter instead of onto the spokesman. I’m not saying that is simple, but for someone with lifelong training and experience in front of the world it is strange how he has such difficulty with it.

    1. +100!

      And if you and I can think that (sorry you may be an interview expert and I’m being rude, I don’t mean to be!), what can’t he? Or his team? It keeps coming back to his team and what advice they are giving him and of course whether he is listening to it.

      Guide the interviewer back to the main story over and over. What must the rest of the Taskforce be thinking this morning? instead of the headlines about their historic signing, it’s all William and trophy hunting. Sigh.

    2. +1
      IMO, part of William’s poor communication skills is that he’s not able to ‘sell’ his own work, no matter how much little it may be. He comes across as an inadequate leader. In the past, I had a boss who was lazy in all respects, made his team work like hell, but at the end of the day he had an amazing talent of ‘owning’ the project and receive credit for himself! What a charmer!
      I’m not saying that William should be like that, he’s obviously not born with the talent, but he should be confident and come out composed and collected in a subject that at least he knows something and cares about.

  11. “It is better to remain silent at the risk of being thought a fool, than to talk and remove all doubt.”

    Every time William talks, it’s a jumbled word salad of complete nonsense.

    2. His communication skills are abysmal – he is nowhere near eloquent and sometimes it is hard to make sense of what his point is. He seems to be a bit more on point with the conservation cause (PR gaffes aside) but he was horrendous at the mental health visits.

      He has always struck me as not particularly bright (despite a university degree) as well as too lazy and arrogant to take the time to better himself.

      1. As Lindsay from DC mentioned upthread, an ‘aversion to studying and learning’ is the worst trait of a person who supposedly want to make a difference. Socrates the philosopher said ‘one thing I know is that I don’t know anything’. It should make us all humble and willing to learn throughout our lives.

      2. As an editor, his speeches make me cringe. He’s beyond not elegant. He rambles and comes across as speaking off the cuff with no preparation or thought beforehand. So sad.

  12. Oh dear, it’s all a bit clumsy. I think his heart is in the right place but he’s not very good at getting his point across?
    I am very conflicted about culling but understand it must be done. I do think it should be done by the game park rangers. But then if some moneyed up fool wants to pay a huge amount of money to take part in a cull in Africa then maybe they should let them pay. But only if they pay for a ranger to go with them and the money goes back into the local economy. I’d rather go to Africa and shoot animals with a camera!
    Let the would be trophy hunters go volunteer in a game park or 2 like Harry. I doubt they would be wanting to take trophies home afterwards.
    The item that did interest me was that they are trying to stop the movement of poached animals, ivory, rhino horn etc.

    1. +1

      Yes! Harry has shown time and again his love for Africa and the impact that disease and poaching plays on his beloved continent. Wills is as always, very much talk and very little action.

  13. Looks like prince balds alot is at it again ( please do not condemn me for using the moniker balds alot, last time I used this moniker I was accused of being a bully by certain KMR posters, thier rea zoning behind this…William cannot control that he is bald and I shouldn’t be picking on his appearance, but only his work ethic, most if not all of the people who accused me of being a bully are the same people who regularly call kate old, too skinney, say her makeup is aweful, her clothes are ugly and the lists goes on. Now, this was some time ago and I did not reply to those comments because the double standard put forth was hilarious and I didn’t feel it worth addressing at the time. So I will not use this moniker anymore out of respect for KMR, at the risk of starting a negative comment thread. I havent commented since I was called a bully for calling william “bald”, the excuse behind this attack is as follows, “talking about his lack of work ethic ect, is okay, but do not pick on his physical appearance”….um, er, ok. Isn’t that what is done to kate alot in the comment section. I haven’t felt comfortable posting here since that happened, and I just want to say, immmmm baaàaaack.

    1. Hi Jenndog, don’t want to start a debate, but I too have been called a bully on here. I think what happens is that things in writing can be misinterpreted by others, and I also believe that with the wide range of nationalities that post here things perhaps have different connotations in different cultures. Of course in the ‘real world’ when you talk face to face small misunderstandings can be resolved quickly, whereas in cyber world they can become inflamed. But I do love the fact that we get viewpoints from around the world, and debate not just on Kate but on the other royals and there is also a huge support system. You can sort of work out where people are in the world by the time of day they post, although KMR herself seems to need very little sleep. Welcome back, and what is your view on trophy hunting?

      1. Hi Birdy,

        I appreciate your very well thought out and balanced response to my comment….I absolutely detest hunting in all forms. I know some will use the excuse “species control” when it comes to hunting. I live in New Mexico and just recently they had a contest which involved shooting coyotes, because it was felt that the species was growing to large. I was absolutely appalled by this. I live outside of the city and drive in everyday for work, there are several packs of coyotes out where I live and enjoy listening to them sing every night, it’s beautiful and I will sit outside after dark just to hear them singing. It broke my heart that a contest, complete with a trophy awarded to the person who shot the most coyotes….as an animal lover and advocate, I think what William does is horrid. I also think he should resign his position as patron to the wildlife fund he works with. I believe his trophy hunting and the fact he considers himself a wildlife conservationist, to be a gigantic, massive scandal…let me put it this way; if a politician speaks out against other politicians not being fiscally responsible and in the same breath takes a 12,000 dollar vacation to Europe on tax payer dollars…this politician might defend his actions by saying it was a “working vacation.” He/she would try to justify it the way William is trying to justify his trophy hunting. Pick and choose your stance William. Why should we shoot a boar because it is old? Leave the wise old boars alone. On another note, how is removing the Ivory off the heads of animals your palaces going to give them life again? Cheese and rice William! Why do you have to be so uninformed answer ridiculous when it comes to your “causes”. Blah, I just don’t understand this man.

        1. On another note, according to William, maybe we should hunt the elderly too, they aren’t fertile anymore right? Now I understand that animals are not people, but his reasoning is the same. Ridiculous, ridiculous, ridiculous. Maybe he should stop giving interviews regarding wildlife conservation. This interview angered me….then again, keep talking william. I now believe that you haven’t one ounce of your mother’s compassion. Keep chasing and shooting old animals that can’t escape you because they are “old”. I don’t think anyone actually believes when you say you only kill “old” boars. I think you shoot many different species, old or young, for sport. I also believe trophy hunting to be one of your favorite hobbies. So keep making a fool of yourself and I will keep watching as your PR train derails.

  14. So, wild animals don’t deserve a natural death? It’s better, when they are old and feeble, to be hunted down in terror? Yeah, that makes sense. He’s a bloodthirsty fool who slaughters masses of birds and animals for fun, trying to justify the unforgivable, a rich man’s blood sport. Animals are there for *his* convenience just as they were for my father.

    Now I’m bowing out of any debating of the endless rationalisations. Must take a look at what other stupid things he said. The guy is an absolute moron with a chip on his shoulder the size of Great Britain and is finally showing his true colours. I’m glad. I hope he keeps babbling away.

      1. Hi ladies,

        I’m not wanting to start a debate but I felt compelled to point out that for most old and feeble animals in the wild death is anything but peaceful. Most will die slow, painful deaths from injuries, predation or simply starve to death because their teeth have worn down so much they can’t chew. While I don’t necessarily agree with trophy hunting any hunter worth his/her salt will work very hard to ensure that the animal isn’t even aware of their presence let alone chase them, a scared animal produces large amounts of adrenaline which would completely ruin the meat by making it inedible.

        1. Good point, Lauri from Ca. Neither my husband nor I approve of hunting, but in the Southern USA, it is a big deal. I can understand hunting for food – the poverty is extreme in some parts of my state and getting a turkey, deer or rabbit is a real help to feed the family. There are a lot of “working poor” who don’t qualify for benefits and need the food hunting provides.

          However, trophy hunting disgusts me, as do canned sport hunts.

        2. it is a good point Lauri. In Denmark, it is absolutely necessary to cull deers because if they are too many, disease spread and vegetation (especially bark on young trees) is damaged. Since wolves are extinct in my part of the world, there are no large predators to keep the deer population in check naturally.

          A good friend of mine has a family that hunts (deer and duck). Her father bought some forest land – and when he went on a walkabout to inspect it, he came back with tears in his eyes. The reason: the forest hadn’t been hunted for a long time and he found a number of animals so diseased that they couldn’t move, they just suffered. He had to go back in and put those animals out of their misery. Letting them die natural death for those animals would have been unkind.

          I don’t care for hunting for sport (and trophy hunting is a loathesome practice – it is about ego and not a love of nature) but I’m quite ok about hunting for food as well as culling for the benefit of the state of health of the animals as well as protection of the environment.

          Sometimes putting animals down is more humane than letting them die of old age. Last month we had to put down the family cat. I loved that sweet little furball but she was suffering and I couldn’t in good conscience continue to let her suffer for the sake of my own feelings.

          1. If a timely death hastened by human intervention is best for the animal then so be it. But if you allow it to be done for money / trophies then it becomes a whole other matter and let a chink in a dam and Holland will tell you what happens. If killed by experienced wardens these people can also guarantee that horn , Ivory etc is not released . And who mentioned up post about elephant grandmas? So true , as humans I believe we could learn a lot about caring for the young the old and the weak from those amazing animals.

          2. Sorry for your little furball, ArtHistorian. She must be a little angel in furball heaven right now.

            Elephants were always my favourite animals. I consider them as the gentle giants and their symbolism in different cultures is all of positive things. Old age and wisdom is one of these things. You’re right, Birdy that they teach us respect and honour to our seniors.

          3. Birdy,

            I wasn’t talking about elephants or other endangered species, just pointing out that in some contexts it is necessary to do a culling. I get that the topic of hunting is a contentious one but I dislike it when the debate is reduced to adverserial positions where all nuance and context gets lost.

            Elina,
            She was the sweetest and most polite little cat. She was originally my sister’s cat but she had to live with our parents for a while and then she became my father’s cat, or he became her biped. Once, she even woke him up because my mother had fallen out of the bed!

          4. AH actually I think we agree. We have real issues here with badgers which potentially carry disease and there are huge political arguments about how to manage the population – and badgers are beautiful animals which always helps the ‘aren’t they cute’ brigade.
            My issue is that if for good reasons animals need to be culled it must be done properly, by experts, with an aim to absolutely minimise pain and to ensure that no trophies can be taken. Allowing wealthy idiots to kill old elephants, rhinos, lions etc just for fun simply does not enable their supporters to have any credibility.
            As many KMRers know I am the owner of a beloved dog. When the time comes I know I will have to allow him to be put down to avoid pain. It will break my heart, and even now I burst into tears at the very thought of it. But his skin, teeth etc will not be trophies. There will be no ‘celebration’ . That is what I hate so much, control populations , eat meat, but a trophy? That makes me feel sick to my stomach.

          5. Ok Birdy,

            It is late in my spot of the globe so I think I misunderstood you. I think we are in complete agreement.

            Regarding the Cambridges,
            It is almost impressive how they are sabotaging their public image these days.

            William advocating up commercial throphy hunting in connection with wildlife conservation – in a short interview where the complexities of this particular issue cannot be addressed.

            Kate pulling out of an annual tradition because she won’t want people to expect her to do it every year, which is the very definition of traditions.

            These two numpties are just piling self-inflicted negative story on an already tarnished image. Sometimes it is hard to believe that people can be as lazy, arrogant and tone-deaf as these two. It is excellent entertainment to watch William the PR whizz in action.

        3. Lauri,

          I was talking about trophy hunting, a cruel sport for fun using feeble animals. Period. Let’s not drag in all this other irrelevant stuff and justification about other kinds of hunting and start a war (like the possum thread) and stir up a *lot* of distress for some.

          1. He’s lying about only the old ones. In addition, it’s unlikely the trophy hunting guides are going to say now only the feeble ones sir. Feeble becomes subjective.

          2. Also, what big game hunter is going to want to hunt the old, feeble ones? They wouldn’t consider that a challenge.

  15. “Fifth: William’s whole approach to this issue still seems to be about humanity’s enjoyment of these species, rather than what the loss of these species will do to the environment, etc. No one cares if your rich, entitled kids can’t go hang with the elephants and rhinos when they’re older, William. What does the loss of these species actually mean to the bigger picture?”

    Amen!

    I don’t relate to his children, and saying that all of the wild rhinos and elephants will be dead by the time Charlotte is 25, does nothing for me. Sure, he mentions a little bit the economic impact of poaching on these particular regions, but it’s incredibly clumsy. It comes across as an afterthought at times because he spends so much of his time talking about the other aspects.

    If I really thought he cared, I’d applaud him. Still seems like a hobby campaign for him.

  17. giggle giggle. you used “Prince William” and “work” in the same sentence. The Cambridges really need new advisors. Their position in life is now purely a traditional one and for the Duchess to stay home on St. Patrick’s Day instead of upholding a 115 year old tradition speaks volumes about what her and William think about the institution of the Royal Family. Get your heads out of the sand Cambridges! Your prepared (by others) speeches are good but it becomes apparent when you are speaking without notes that all you have is buzzwords and catch phrases. It’s not enough to almost talk the talk – the 2 of you need to grow up and walk the walk.

  18. He’s an idiot. How he speaks of these issues. Approaches them. It’s a shallow level of understanding and preparation. And that he doesn’t follow through adds to this.

    At this point he has no incentive to change. He’s just not even trying.
    Agree with so much that has been said here already. Especially about the ecological impact extinction would bring about.

  19. I don’t in any way mean to undermine the importance of wildlife in Africa, but does anyone else find it odd that the issue William seems most passionate about isn’t a UK issue? I’ve always found it a little offputting that as a prince of the UK, he hasn’t made an issue in the UK his #1 priority. The people of the UK are the ones supporting him, and there are plenty of worthwhile causes there. I certainly support protecting wildlife in Africa and think it’s a noble cause. I also support his involvement, but find it odd that it’s the thing he’s most vocal about when there are also plenty of issues affecting people in his own backyard.

    1. Jason had probably the same thought with you, hence he came up with mental health issue. The sad thing is that IMO, whatever the Cambridges take on, it doesn’t make them more relevant in the UK or the rest of the world, for that matter.

    2. There’s an unexplained great interest in Africa from the rock stars, hollywood stars and the royals. I was a young teen when Band-Aid went wild in the 80’s. And yet 30 years later, Africa still has not done anything to help itself. Still ravaged by famine, bloody civil wars… I am not an expert in African studies but that’s what I see. And I am sure 30 years later, Africa is still where it is today as it was 30 years ago.

      If you look at Asia, while there are still grinding poverty, human rights abuse etc.. but some countries have risen to super powers status with modernized cities.

      But I digress.

      1. I studied in Ghana for 6 months while I was in college. I can only speak to what I saw in that country. There was and is a lot of corruption. When the British left, they didn’t leave much foundation on how to run a successful government. There is where corruption started. Parties took office that stayed for decades, even generations. A good example of that is Gerry Rawlins. There are countries that are doing well, but others will struggle due to that. However, that can be true in other countries/continents as well.

        However, I do respectfully disagree with your statement “If you look at Asia, while there are still grinding poverty, human rights abuse etc.. but some countries have risen to super powers status with modernized cities”. China is a perfect example of modernized cities and great affluence. Yet, they have horrific human rights records. They just ended their policy of a one child household. Dozens of girl children were killed or cast away.

        There are many places in Africa that are modern, affluent, and are super powers. In my opinion, I think that the picture of Africa that we see is the many countries within the continent that cannot help themselves. That is further from the case. Once the absolute power and corruption is removed, then the countries and its people will be able to change.

        Again, I respectfully disagree.

        1. I hate the africans arent helping themselves argument. The weatern media isnt interested in showing success stories from africa. And if you were paying attention when live aid put out that song again last year, many africans objected, calloing an end to the patronising idiocy of it all.

          I lived in africa for many years. It’s like many continents. Some parts are good, others not so good. Yet western media insists on going to the absolutely worst parts, ignoring any local programmes in place, filming the dregs and then coming back to the west to dhow how destitute the africans are. Complete with a horribly and pitifully cdiseased dying child with a strategically placed fly. As comedian trevor noah once asked, ‘where do they get a fly that can hold still in every single poor africa informercial?’ Honestly, the equivalent would be finding the wordt place i could find in america and putting it on blast as the representation of usa.

          Secondly, the corrupt govt are kept in place by western govts. Can the africans get out of this pickle? Only if the vested western govts lose interest which is unlikely given the resources of the continent.

          Even the well meaning charities are proping up the very groups terrorising the population eg that horrendous famine that sparked live aid was due to a civil war involving scotching the earth and driving people into uninhabitable areas that were prone to droughts. And it’s since been revealed that most of that live aid money went to the warlords.

          You want to help africa? I would start by reading a book called dead aid and not believing everything that is in the w edtern media.

          1. Thank you, thank you, Thank you Herazeus! As an African, it is so good to hear that some people are no longer just accepting the oft-repeated stereotypes but rather doing their own research and developing their own opinions!
            I definitely recommend that everyone should read Binyavanga Wainana’s short essay “how to write about Africa” for a quick and amusing take on how the continent is portrayed by the western world before repeating some of the ill-informed things they’ve heard in this past. In fact, this can be applied to every country really.

  20. I really feel for the Queen this morning reading these articles in the newspaper. I can hardly imagine her disappointment in her son, grandson and granddaughter-in-law…

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3494501/Prince-Andrew-rammed-closed-park-gates-80-000-Range-Rover-avoid-one-mile-detour-home.html

    I really hope she makes Andrew pay out of his own pocket for the repairs to this gate.

    And then this…

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3494700/Kate-Middleton-pulls-presenting-shamrocks-Irish-Guards.html

    So it did William and Kate spend the weekend in London while their children were in Norfolk? I don’t understand why they don’t pack up the kids and bring them to London, does KP not have enough room? One commentator pointed out that if the royals start abandoning traditions now then what’s the point in having a royal family at all.

    For being college educated William and Kate are incredibly stupid sometimes.

    1. Wait, I’m confused…115 yr tradition?

      Didn’t King George VI present the shamrocks in 1950 and the Grand Duke of Luxembourg present in 1989?

      Was HM critized in ’89 for the GDuke subtituting for her?

      1. The “tradition” of the royal women handing out the shamrocks started with Queen Alexandria in 1901. I would imagine that having the Grand Duke present the shamrocks in 1989 was to honor him as another Head Of State, not because the Queen backed out. To my knowledge the Queen never did present the shamrocks, the Queen Mother did the annual presentation until her death and then the Princess Royal took over until it was handed over to the Duchess.

      2. George VI as Colonel in Chief did it for the 50th anniversary of the founding of the regiment. Grand Duke Jean did it in 1989 as Royal Colonel of the regiment because they were stationed in Belize and almost 89 year old QEQM couldn’t make the trip. In 1999 Prince Edward did it in Germany because again almost 99 year old QEQM couldn’t make the trip. Somehow Kate not doing it either because she doesn’t want to raise expectations of her doing it every year or because she wants to be in Norfolk with her kids is disgusting. What about all of the military men and women who can’t be with their kids because duty has them stationed somewhere else?

      3. Copying my response from elsewhere.

        115 years of tradition of it being a female member of the royal family unless there are extenuating circumstances. Being bone deep lazy is not an extenuating circumstance.

        Edward in 2002 because the 99-year-old Queen Mother couldn’t travel to Germany where the regiment was stationed.

        King in 1950 for their 50th anniversary

        Grand Duke Jean (who served in the Irish Guards) in 1989 because HM couldn’t travel where they were stationed

        vs. woman who is too lazy to work.

        The situations do not equate and do not excuse Kate Middleton’s behavior no matter how hard some might try. Her initial excuse that she didn’t want the expectation that she’d show up every year henceforth shows her intent. She doesn’t intend to work and doesn’t intend to show up for this event annually.

          1. Wasn’t sure if this was an honest question or trolling. She didn’t respond to my posting on CB so didn’t know if she’d read it or not.

        2. Then maybe we in the Britain and Common wealth countries do not intend to fund these ignorant lazy leeches and honour them as our Head of State either.

    2. The DM comments on the second article may be the most negative I have ever read. There are also hundreds of green arrows on them and very few red arrows. I think the bubble has finally burst. Stunning.

        1. The disgust is, quite rightfully, palpable. There is no logic or sense in propping up any family, let alone one of so little merit. The Queen’s demise should see the beginning of the end.

    3. Finally, I am glad an article came out about Kate skipping St. Patrick’s day. And it makes no sense her wanting to get home to her children. They couldn’t have come to London for the week? The excuses are so weak and people are seeing through them.

      Even Kate supporters on the DM are agreeing how stupid this was of Kate. And it seems like such a fun event.

      And it silly to me about how she wants to spend the next few weeks with her kids before the tour. Doesn’t she always spend time with them, so how is this different? Plus, it is only a few days tour, not 2 weeks!

      Btw, I love that the daily mail pointed out all the negative press in that article. Just to make sure people know it all. They are adding fuel to the fire 🙂

      1. Hi Overit,

        Yeah, a fair number of Kate supporters commented on the DM site of how disappointed they are with this decision and the lame excuse accompanying it. Why is she anxious to get home to her children, didn’t she go back to Norfolk after the reception on Monday? Or did her and Will stay in London over the weekend? If that’s the case, fine but don’t back out of event honoring those who give their all for Queen and country simply because you & Willy had a romantic (?) weekend together and now you’re feeling guilty about it.

        Also, if her last engagement before leaving for India is the 18th that means she gets to spend almost 3 weeks with George and Charlotte before leaving. I imagine most military parents would kill for that time to spend with their children before leaving on deployment.

      2. The “but think of the children” excuse is lame and insulting. Firstly, because it implies that she must cleave to Charlotte and George or else they will be damaged by her absence, and, secondly, it implies that working mother are bad parents. It is doubly insulting when you consider how laughably light her workload is – and the little she does is hardly strenuous.

        It is not a valid argument for shirking what few official obligations she has. Rather it seems to function like a dogwhistle that activates a faulty logic where “children need their mother” implicitly becomes “she’s a mother, so she cannot work or her children will suffer”. It is mindnumbingly stupid, insulting and contains a strange and unhealthy fetishisization of idea of motherhood as a zero sum game in competition with other aspects of a woman’s life.

        1. I don’t believe for a moment that Kate is the ‘hands on’ mother she purports to be. I just don’t. She makes inane statements that betray her lack of knowledge of a child’s developmental phases, resorting to inaccurate platitudes. The nanny seems to be the mainstay, and probably Carole too.
          LoveLolaheart’s recent comment rings true: “…From what the woman who reached out to me said, it appears Kate identities so closely with the role of child that it effects her being a mother, she said Kate couldn’t be bothered with George (this was before Charlotte) and spends very little time with him.”
          Who knows what the real reason is for not attending the St Patrick Day’s event. Could be that William is now throwing Kate under the bus – he’s done it to everyone else in his family – in order to prop up his numbers/seek more positive PR. However, Kate has had no experience of service to others her whole life so doubt she worries too much about it. The pair of them are so cocooned from reality, they have no idea, and don’t care to.

    4. The pix with the Duchess towering over the soldier in the wheelchair bothers me. I know Lauri, you have argued that it’s difficult to squat in high heels and dress.

      Then why not practise a way to actually engage with someone in a wheelchair. If you can squat down to eye level with a young child and accept flowers, you can squat down to be at a comfortable level with a disabled person.

      At work, I often would be called out of the pharmacy to recommend an over the counter product. Very often, I have to squat down to talk to someone if the product is on the lower shelf. I do this while wearing pencil skirts, form fitting and flared dresses. The only thing different from the Duchess is the 4″ heels.

      The heels are a challenge but I’d say she can still do it with a lot practice. Tuck the skirt in when she squats down. With a disabled person in a wheelchair, one hand on the armrest to stabilize herself. This I think would bring her much closer to the person.

      One of these days, I will practise with my 3.5″ high heels on to see if I am barking up the wrong tree. :)))

      1. I’ve seen Kate squat many times in heels and a dress all while 9 months pregnant. No way she couldn’t have managed lean in for the soldier in the wheelchair.

  21. Williams is incredibly self centered….he has NO inkling of the role animals play in the larger environment issues facing us today. Nope, it’s all about him and his kids. Utter lack of perspective.

    By “commercial hunting” is he talking about culling or some oligarchs chasing down an aged, sickly lion, stressing it out in it’s last days and then shooting it? the first is fine, and we in the USA have to do that on federal lands to control caribou and deer populations.

    the second…well, it’s just comes off as twisted and entitled.

  22. Can’t help but think that his devotion to wildlife conservation came about and is sustained by his feelings for Jecca. Will be interesting to see if he makes it to her wedding.

    1. Hello ladies,
      I just wanted you all to know that I have been reading all your comments with great interest for some time. I’m always a bit apprehensive about joining a website as a newbie simply because it seems you all have such a great rapport. However, I felt the need to comment when it comes to his statements from yesterday.
      My partner of 8 years went to Africa shortly after we met as a trophy hunter. I was not happy to say the least. I am pretty much a tree hugger, but I could understand his hunting when he was here because we simply ate all that he was able to bring home.
      When he went to Africa it was a completely different story. He tried to justify every part of it by explaining that the trophy fees go to the country, conservation, and all the meat is used to feed local families. Okay, okay , okay, but this is Zimbabwe. The dictator does not do this.
      The best part, however, was that he was on Chelsy Davy’s father’s property and actually met him. These extremely wealthy “ranchers” make so much money from hunters that it is able to sustain their way of life that is often beyond anything we can imagine.
      When William was defending trophy hunting my immediate thought was he was protecting his extremely wealthy friends, Jecca Craig and Chelsy Davy, as opposed to anything else. So he wants his friends to continue to live as he does and I really don’t believe that he cares as much about the animals. Unfortunately Africa does not have the resources to fight these poachers. Most countries are run by a dictator or some form there of and they aren’t going to put the resources towards poachers because that’s money out of their pocket.
      My husband was killed during a mission in Africa (he is military or was) many years ago so I am very aware of what the political climate is in Africa and this will not go away if you allow both. Trophy hunters, such as the one who killed Cecil the Lion, are going to continue their tactics of illegally hunting because it suits everyone involved. The “rancher” wants the trophy money. The guide wants the money that he is paid to guide the individual and then the tip for killing an animal such as Cecil and then Mugabe receives the money as a portion that is paid to the rancher. It wreaks of corruption.
      Now, even though the meat is to go to the local villages Zimbabwe is facing an immense hunger crisis, so where exactly is all this meat going to? Not the local villages as the wealthy either believe or want us to believe, but it is used to keep the excesses of the government intact.

      Anyways, I hope I don’t come across to preachy but I love the blog and felt the need to weigh in on this subject. Have a wonderful day ladies! You are awesome!

      1. SpringsMom, Welcome! How nice to have another person join in with comments. I still feel sick, sick, sick about poor Cecil.

      2. Welcome! You wrote a very good comment. I learned a lot from your explanation of Africa, landowners, gov’t, guides, etc. Very interesting and enlightening.

        So sorry about the death of your husband.

      3. Welcome!

        And thank you for that unique perspective on this issue. One reason why I think that commercial trophy hunting has no place in conservation work, is that it is very vulnerable to corruption – and William’s stipulation about only hunting old and infertile animals isn’t really something that strikes me as being easy to enforce.

        I am sorry for your loss.

      4. SpringsMom welcome and thank you for your comments. I think ores here will join me in saying we look forward to hearing more from you on this topic.
        So sorry for your loss. I have taken over a comment from a long time poster and amazing lady, Wild Rose – ‘ sending you baskets of happiness’

      5. Welcome from me too, SpringsMom. Your comment confirmed in my mind that William’s interest lies more into conserve and justify his and his peers’ way of life, rather than conserve the life of the animals. Besides, the corruption circle depends on the existence of the animals, so let them be preserved for the trophy hunters and the country’s oligarchy. It’s always done at the expense of the poor and many, isn’t it.
        Keep on posting!

      6. SpringsMom,

        A warm welcome! And especially welcome is the unique and invaluable knowledge, perspective and insight you have provided. Now it *all* makes sense to me, the pieces of the puzzle have fallen into place. Of course Willy would have a selfish agenda. Thank you so much!

        Don’t be a stranger!

      7. That is a very important point you raise, SpringsMom. William’s close relationship with people who profit from trophy hunting is a conflict of interest and should be disclosed. It is entirely unsuitable for him to be involved in this issue and he needs to be called out on it. I am not sure about any legal requirements to disclose his conflicts of interest, but if he is speaking publicly on these issues and signing documents there might be. I would be very interested in the opinion of any legally-minded people who peruse this blog…..

    2. Or if Jecca gets married at all. I hope Jecca is getting married for the right reasons. The first guy that Jecca was engaged too fell for her. I like that William has a passion for conservation. However William bagged his first deer at 14 years old. William seems to be confused as to what he is saying and his actions. There has to be some consistency in his actions. I think he deeply cares about conservation because he is more sensitive than Harry. Though the way he talks about George comes off as George being unwanted or just plain ambivalent. I don’t like hunting. I hate it with a passion. I think if you want to control wildlife that is fine but it is shocking how the wildlife will not have certain species. The white rhino is now extinct or nearly extinct.

  23. “So when one is infertile, he’s at the end of his life….” was William talking about himself here. Where the F are his handlers to even let him say in a conservation interview that trophy hunting under controlled circumstances is okay. Or maybe he just did not take their advice. I am sure he knew what the questions were going to be ahead of time. If he had used the term”culling” maybe it would have been a bit more palatable. Either way, with this interview, he is really just adding to the legend that the Windsors are as dumb as a bag of hammers and just run off at the mouth with no forethought (the exception to this is the Queen). Now that Philip is old everyone excuses some of his appalling remarks, which to me is not right. William is a disgrace.

        2. I hate the argument that he’s a man of his time and so we should excuse his crass behaviour. My grandmother is older and she has never uttered anything remotely as bigoted as he has sprouted.

  24. I can barely find the words to express my disgust with William. What an awful piece of work. He needs to be removed from contaminating the public with his odious views.

  25. Quick question for our UK commenters…
    It seems like the royals favour ITV. Is this the case or do they work with other broadcasters on rotational basis too? If not, one would think that as representatives of UK with “pulling power”, they should be supporting the cash strapped BBC News division. As I understand, ITV is a commercial venture whereas state broadcaster BBC is funded, in part, by the government. I believe BBCs news division is undergoing major restructuring and job cuts as it is no longer as lucrative a business as it used to be.

    Sorry KMR, I know this is unrelated to the post. In light of the media calling William out, I’m finding myself fascinated with the relationships that the royals have with different media houses and how,if at all, these relationships are maintained. I ‘m also very curious as to just how far the media can/will go in their criticism. Is there an invisible line? Can William’s relationship with them ever recover? (I work in the media, hence the random musings)

    1. Em –

      William is friends/acquaintances with Tom Bradby. Tom is a former political editor for the ITV News at Ten and, currently, the main presenter.

      Tom’s wife, Claudia, worked at Jigsaw with Kate (though, as we all know, Kate didn’t do any actual ‘work’ during her time with the company).

      I suspect William chose ITV because, owing to the friendship with the Bradby’s, he knew that he’d be given a soft ride.

    2. I’m not in the UK, but I remember watching a documentary on the Royals relationship with the media. I can’t remember what exactly the BBC did, but they showed something that pissed off the Royals. The Royals then punished them by using ITV instead of the BBC. The BBC then tried getting back in their good graces and will get some crumbs now. Sorry I don’t remember specifics

      1. It’s on YouTube as Reinventing the Royals. Mostly about Charles but part two talks about how awful Williams relationship with the media is and how people don’t realize how hateful and disdainful of everyone he truly is. Mostly, it’s Charles trying to reinvent himself in the public eye after the Diana thing when the media and world eviscerated him. As we know his reputation has never recovered.

  26. This is starting to get sad and dangerous. I say dangerous because William is ill informed on so many topics: EU, wildlife, mental health, etc. He needs to take the time to get educated on things before he speaks of them. His arrogance is so apparent and it is a shame. I am fed up with him.

    Thanks for all of your hard work, KMR.

    1. He needs to stay firmly out of the EU debate whatever the hell he thinks. The Queen is even in trouble for apparently expressing her opinion. Constitutional monarchy = keep your political opinions very firmly to yourself. This vote is generation changing and critical and Will needs to keep his unintelligent mouth shut.
      And for the record this is where Charles is most in danger of making himself the last King – he tries to and wants to get involved in political decisions which his position firmly forbid him from doing.

      1. Charles really needs to learn how to exert more self-discipline when it comes to this particular issue. He simply cannot meddle in politics in his position.

        I think he has the makings of a good king but he needs to learn to sit on his hands when it comes to politics.

  27. Do we really know whether or not restricted types of commercial hunting perpetuate the problem? I haven’t actually done any research to know the answer, but if in fact research has been done that shows success in allowing limited hunting while still deterring poaching, then his comments would be very much on point. I don’t know, however, if statistical analyses have even been done to examine the success of a given program or initiative. I just don’t think it is logical to assume the approach wouldn’t work without evidence…human behavior is a bit quirky, after all.

    1. Just my opinion SLW but I would put this question. I am a poverty stricken father in xyz country and if I can kill and elephant and sell the tusks I can feed my children for 1/2/3 years. If it is ok for wealthy John Doe to kill and elephant for fun why can’t I to save my family?

      To me that is the issue, give an inch how do you stop people taking a mile ?

      2. I definitely understand the position you present, Birdy. I suspect William’s comment was made in ignorance as opposed to based on research. I’m not referring to any moral stance atm, only the claim that only a cold turkey approach works. That may very well be true, but it’s a strong position to take if we don’t have an empirical evidence to back up the claim.

        1. I actually live in a part of Africa so ravaged by poaching so ravaged by poaching that the military has been deployed, at great expense to the state, to patrol national parks.

          In the context of our country, conservation is an incredibly polarizing issue across class and race.
          Conservation groups have done well to educate us about the role that rhinos play in the ecosystem. We also know that Big 5 tourism bring s in a lot of money. But hunting and conservation are both considered pursuits of the wealthy who indulge in either practice for their own enjoyment.

          It is at times inconceivable how much value is placed on the lives of animals. – buffalo bulls are regularly auctioned for millions of dollars- rather than that of humans.

          We’re the most advanced country in Africa and have the second largest economy on the continent but our people are still suffering. Due to the heinous apartheid regime, millions of people were denied basic human rights and necessities to live good, productive lives – 20 years into democracy and these structural issues have yet to be dealt properly.

          People are suffering and dying on a daily basis and yet the rich seem to care more about the animals. To some, this is absurd- which is why William lamenting about what a shame it would be for his children not to see rhinos is so damaging after all few are more wealthy and privileged than our former colonial masters, right?

          Both the hunting and conservation industries provide a range of people with jobs and the means to care for their families.

          Bottom line: both human and animal lives are equally important. That’s the message that people with William’s means have to convey, whether they believe it or not. Until we ascribe more value to human life and try to balance the need for human survival with that of wildlife we will just being talking in circles and signing empty declarations.

    2. At this time there isn’t anything that deters poachers. The fact is that you have many different countries in Africa that are in various states of strife. Most have extreme poverty and abuse runs rampart. As I mentioned above, my husband was killed in a mission in Africa because of the civil unrest and there was more than once the unit had to rescue civilians living there, generally missionaries.
      I posed a complete ban on hunting if you want to eliminate poachers and my reasoning is this: if no one is allowed to hunt then you clearly know that anyone shooting a gun from a helicopter or ground is a poacher. Then it is swift justice.
      Unfortunately unless Europe wants to put their money where their mouth is, particularly William, the countries in Africa theoretically need this money. Many of the individuals who help track are actually natives to the country and they make tips from helping guides track the animals the trophy hunters pay for.
      In addition how do we enforce our will on sovereign countries? Are we going to send troops in to Africa to enforce something they don’t want enforced?
      Right now each country has an “endangered” animal listing, but that doesn’t mean you can’t hunt them. It only means that the permits are extremely expensive. Elephants and Rhinos are part of the big 5 and can cost up to 100K depending upon the outfitter you choose.
      So what do we do as a world?Really the only thing that I can think is to try and bring other industry to Africa. Unfortunately, and I hope that this is taken in the way I mean and not as a racist comment, but many of these countries have taken over from white rule as they were colonies. When this happened they took everything away from them, stripped the resources, and gave nothing back to the country. The quickly set up dictatorships or de facto dictatorships that make it difficult for anyone with even the strongest of armies to go in and impose our wills.
      Now, from my understanding, William is trying to ban airlines from shipping certain species back, which is fine but then they will just go by boat. The only way that it will work is if every country in the world decides to impose a ban on all African species so that they cannot go through customs. What I see happening then is that people in countries such as Russia will simply grease a few palms and voila! Animal back in the country.

      I agree with many other posters that he is very passionate about the animals in Africa, but with just a little digging it doesn’t seem that he truly cares. What I see as being more successful and has shown statistically to work is that they set up “conservatories”. However, the fees charged would need to be as great or greater than what trophy hunters pay. Bottom line that probably won’t happen because trophy hunters don’t want to look at animals they can see in a zoo. They want a trophy to bring home and place in their 10k square foot trophy room and show off to everyone.

      And now we have many circular arguments for and against that all lead us back to the same point. Trophy hunting is here to stay forever and Prince William knows this, but he wants to stop poachers specifically who do not pay fees for their trophies. That’s the bottom line of his passion. If the poachers paid the fees then they would be trophy hunters and William is fine with that. 🙁

  28. Yet another example of William dabbling superficially in a cause for which he is deeply conflicted and unqualified. The interview was cringe-inducing with nonstop drivel. Go back to your gilded cage, you ignorant sloth!!

    1. I know, how awful and ridiculous is that? Couldn’t they just remove them altogether than have them turned around?

  30. There are hunters involved in conservation work. They may not have any qualms about shooting a species that is common for food, for population management or for pure sport but they wouldn’t hunt an endangered species. They wouldn’t want to participate in the extinction of a species.

    The only exceptions to the not hunting an animal to extinction rule is in specific places and apply to a species that was introduced by man to an area. That species has become ecologically damaging like constrictors such as pythons in Florida or the possums in New Zealand that Kate was recently criticized for wearing as gloves. The constrictors were released by pet owners who didn’t want them any more in Florida or escaped during hurricanes and now are chewing up all kinds of native animals like fox in the everglades. There isn’t a limit or a season on hunting them in Florida.

    Some animals that may be hunted for population management without a hunter batting an eyelash include the boar that William hunts in Spain. The boar breed very quickly and can become very destructive if their numbers are allowed to increase uncontrolled. In the USA they are not a native species and in places like Texas there isn’t a season or limit on them.

    As for William having animals raised for hunting like grouse or pheasant, I am hypocritical because I like to fish and have caught fish stocked in lakes but I would hunt birds that have been used to stock an estate. That is my thing.

    There are hunting organizations involved in conservation efforts like Duck’s Unlimited in the USA which promote wetlands conservation so they have places to hunt and ducks to hunt.

    The whole big game animal hunting controversy I would have to investigate further. I looked at the endangered species act in the USA that included lions. It described lions as declining in Africa but not yet endangered because of spotty effectiveness in prohibiting poaching. I read the fine print that act. In places where conservation efforts are being effective, the act allows lions to be imported into the USA.

    Also with big game hunting, I have heard but not confirmed that since locals in some areas profit from having jobs related to big game hunting that they are less likely to poach local animals. In a backdoor way that promotes the conservation of the species. I also have heard that the animal meat goes into the local food chain if the hunter doesn’t take it home, but I haven’t confirmed that information either.

    I personally would only hunt for food. I wish my father had taught me to hunt but he didn’t think it was feminine. He was old fashioned. Today if I had been born I think he would’ve taught me. His thinking on girls hunting has changed over the decades.

    1. Ducks Unlimited helps maintain private wetlands that are not used by the public. Often times it is for their clubs specific use. So yes, they help protect wetlands so that their hunters have the ability to hunt for sport. In the effort of full disclosure we are members of Ducks Unlimited and my partner in SCI.

      In my earlier comment I had brought up the concept that the meat from the animals trophy hunters kill are to go to the local villages. However, the UN just released that the people in Zimbabwe are beginning to starve because there is not enough food. I found this ironic simply due to the fact that Zimbabwe is the cheapest place in Africa to trophy hunt, which means that they receive a large bulk of hunters who aren’t afraid of Mugabe and do not need the extreme luxuries.

      I believe in, as you say, population control depending upon the area. We have it here in Colorado for elk and deer. However, when you are as high profile as the Prince and you want to make your main focus on preserving animals in Africa then you cannot work both sides. It just isn’t working as everyone is finding out.

      If it were me and I was in his situation I would not be playing both sides. Of course I would be working a whole lot harder than he has ever dreamed as well. You make a clear position on preserving endangered animals and by doing that you do not hunt. It would be no different than wanting to prevent child abuse, but then spanking George and Charlotte in public. It just doesn’t work.

      Again, not trying to come across as preachy, but this is a subject that I am very familiar with and after the way he has been behaving over the years I have very little sympathy for him, however I have extreme sympathy for the British people paying for his living.

  31. Hi 🙂 can you please make a post about the announcment of the next invictous gmaes in toronto and todays harry offical meetings (one with mapaction and another with rugby club) i know that it isnt a blog qbout him , but his recent actions are so important and far more interestong than william and kate. And there isnt a normal blog about harry so i will be very grateful if make such a post 😉 and i thnik that many people will like it too .

  32. I think Prince Harry’s anuncement concerning the invictus in Canada next year is to distract attention W & K ignorant & stupid behavour! Those do not have brain cells or filter?

  34. KMR you have good points. I can only add that William was raised and mixes with people who traditionally hunt as a pastime. He would hear conversation that are positive and would tend to want to go along with his clique as he has to mix in those circles.
    Of course they do raise animals for the sole purpose of the ‘sport’ and there is opposition in the UK to what many see as an outdated leisure pursuit.

    In Africa animals are also raised to be hunted for the thrill of the kill as some refer to it. The meat is given to villages, so I read. I understand his saying the old or infirm are being culled however a look at any number of videos will show this is not really the case.
    Traditional migration routes are instinctive but other special information is passed down from these old ‘useless’ animal to their younger counterparts, such as where the best options for feed and water can be found off route in a poor season. That knowledge is lost if they are culled.

    A prince is not automatically born with intelligence and he does not seem streetwise when it comes to understanding the average person. I think he was given so much leeway when growing up that he believed he is made of teflon. People said he was like his mother, and is a caring person however he cannot be as she was, due to his not having the same freedoms that she had. He has been deferred to since birth and more so after his mother died.
    Kate chose to decline giving out Shamrocks this year as she wanted to spend time with her children, so we were told. Those guards can spend weeks/months away from their families doing their job and it seems she misunderstands how much it means to them to be acknowledged by her. I would have felt as if my family was not considered as important as William and Kates family and a few hours away was nothing compared to what they do.

    William will be there however its usual for a woman to hand them out from what I can see. He answers his critics with, ‘its part of the job’ which translates to it is to be expected. I would be horrified to think people feel that way. I do think there is some undercurrent behind closed doors which is why their sudden appearances.

  35. At this point who really cares if they are going to India. It will just be another round of Kate in boring shirtwaist dresses looking like a housewife from 1955 and formal dresses buttoned up to her neck, accented with maniacal grins and hair flopping around her face, while her makeup melts off in the humidity. The only interesting part of the trip will be if she brings any tiaras or other serious bling that is larger than a pea. I really wanted to like them but find there is nothing to like with these two. They have no real convictions and are lazy and arrogant.

  36. I live in an area where the deer population must be controlled. I’m not one for hunting. Guns scare me. However, it’s sad when I’ve known people killed by deer in car accidents. I’m all for hunting when it’s about controlling the population and using the meat for food.

    What I don’t understand in this video is the different nuances. What you all said above. How sick to go in and use a big gaming/hunting trip to put to sleep a sick animal. So sick. If gaming was about true hunting, people would come to my region of the US and hunt deer. But it’s now all about how big is the animal, etc.

    Also, Will looks different. What’s with the fresh slash/scar on his forehead? Edit. From other pics, looks like the scar is there, but sometimes more pronounced.

    Was this shot in Kensington Palace? It looks like a hotel with any sort of personality drained from it. Her Majesty does interviews with family photos around, etc. I believe she did one from Balmoral that looked so cozy with photos around.

    I find nothing endearing or empathetic about him. He’s a strong one. Just my opinion, but some of his tyrant attitude is completely showing in his face. It’s changed so much over the past few years.

  37. There was a time, years ago, that I saw a bit of Diana in him. I haven’t seen that for several years.

    He’s always been headstrong. There was a recent interview where someone had lunch with Diana when Will was 13. Will asked his mother for wine and she feigned that he never drank it. Of course what mother would admit that? Will seemed surly and said of course he always loved the red wine.

    I have lips like his. I’m surprised Kate doesn’t tell him to have a chapstick or something similar in his pocket. His lips are always chapped as are mine.

    His arrogance is obvious. I give the monarchy not long at all. There will be a time in the future, that the people are tired of paying for this. Especially when the heirs are so darned arrogant. I find it interesting they can’t wait to throw the Yorkies under the bus when Will and Kate act like this.

    If and that’s a big *if* the monarchy is dissolved, he may wish he’d paid more attention the Duchy.

  38. I have seen photos of Harry pictured with a kill, it was a bull buffalo . I have heard him speak on conservation. William too with boar or other game.That is what I saw.Who knows what else they do that is not recorded. Trophy hunting is not a sport. It is ego.
    The woman pictured with the dead young giraffe, a young boy with a panther and a gun in his hand, a mother and daughter posing with a healthy but dead Zebra or the old guy with a dead lion, its all a lie. These wardens are multi millionaires along with their clients.

    If they pick off only the frail there is no cleverness involved. If they breed their lions as I have seen in documentaries they are not totally wild and humans have an advantage as they have to rear them .
    I wish people would not squat down with a dead animal to record their conquest as there is nothing there to be proud of.
    They say its a crazy adrenaline rush that is addictive and at the same time say its for conservation.

    This is just one site advertising and a google search for ‘african hunting prices’ showed – About 412,000 results (0.62 seconds).

    Where is this money going?

    Trophy Name TROPHY FEE 2016
    Buffalo $ 13 250
    Crocodile $ 6 450
    Elephant $ 38 000
    Lion $ 19 500 $
    Lioness $ 8 450
    Leopard $ 15 000
    Hippopotamus $ 7 950

    Louis Theroux’s African Hunting Holiday.The hunter/breeder said 9/10ths of the animals will have a place on the wall, Louis won’t even have a place on the wall”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVTmt1pa7xI

    William is not thinking this through, people are educated these days. We don’t blindly accept what we are told anymore and this issue could become a wildfire if he is not careful.

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