King Charles. Picture: Blair Gable/The Canadian Press via AP, Pool
King Charles has reportedly come out all guns blazing over his royal estate is running out of pheasants to shoot.
The monarch, 76, was said to be livid over a series of blunders that left the game bird numbers dwindling at Sandringham, The Sun reports.
Charles even faces calling off his annual Boxing Day shoot — and a long-serving gamekeeper at the Norfolk estate has been given the boot.
“It was a total cock-up. No birds, no bang, just red faces,” a source told The Sun.
“The King wasn’t having it.”
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King Charles is said to be livid over a series of blunders at the Sandringham estate. Picture: Getty
The estate is running out of pheasants and the annual Boxing Day shoot may have to be cancelled. Picture: Alamy
Sandringham is one of the few remaining wild shoots in the country, meaning the game is reared where it is shot.
Charles, who backs traditional countryside practices, has been reluctant to release birds from breeders to get numbers up.
But maintaining a more eco-friendly wild shoot has proved challenging, leaving pheasant numbers in decline.
There are now fears royals will be left twiddling their trigger fingers on Boxing Day as the annual shoot — a firm family favourite — is in doubt.
A long-serving gamekeeper at the Norfolk estate has been given the boot. Picture: Alamy
The occasion is seen as a rare chance for family bonding, despite protests from animal rights campaigners who particularly dislike children taking part.
The ousted keeper, who ran the estate’s game for years, has been shown the door.
“Let’s just say he’s well and truly plucked off,” the source said.
Parts of this story first appeared in The Sun and was republished with permission.
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