Prince William labelled a ‘hypocrite’ for his first speech since becoming the Prince of Wales

Prince William has been branded a ‘hypocrite’ for his speech, as people pointed out his and his family’s history of killing wildlife.

United for Wildlife Global Summit

According to the United for Wildlife website, the illegal wildlife trade is among the five most lucrative global crimes. The criminal networks that run the operations are difficult to detect and nearly impossible to deter.

As reported by the Royal Foundation, the United for Wildlife Global Summit brought together over 300 world leaders from law enforcement agencies, conservation organisations and private sector companies. The aim is for key players to unveil new partnerships and policies to help United for Wildlife end the illegal wildlife trade.

Evening Standardreports that Prince William attended the summit and gave a keynote speech highlighting the seriousness of illegal wildlife crime and its impact on global biodiversity and communities. It was the Prince’s first speech since the Queen’s passing.

According to the publication, the Prince, who has long campaigned against the illegal wildlife trade, established the organisation in 2014 to help end what he calls an ‘abhorrent crime’.

Prince William branded a ‘hypocrite’

The Daily Star reports that the event was streamed online from The Science Museum; however, Prince William faced backlash as people pointed out the ‘hypocrisy’ of the Prince’s words.

Many quickly commented on the Prince of Wales and his family’s history of killing wildlife. One person shared a black-and-white photo of the Queen and Prince Philip with the word ‘hypocrite’ as a caption. The image depicts theroyal couple standing with a group of hunters behind the body of a slaughtered tiger.

Prince Philip shot the tiger while on a Royal Tour of India in 1961, despite many protests from both Britons and Indians, per The Mirror. At the time, Prince Philip was said to have told reporters:

Of course, I plan to shoot a tiger if possible; why not?

One commenter accused Prince William of being a beneficiary of the illegal wildlife trade because of his family history. The commenter also pointed out the hypocrisy of demanding others be severely punished but that the Royal Family should get away with their crimes unscathed.

Some urged the Prince to ban hunting, illegal or otherwise, because all animals deserved to be saved.

Sources used:

- The Daily Star: Fury over 'hypocrite' hunt-lover Prince William after wildlife conservation speech

- Evening Standard: William to give first speech as Prince of Wales at United for Wildlife summit

- Royal Foundation of the Prince and Princess of Wales: Prince William will attend United for Wildlife Global Summit

- United for Wildlife: Our Taskforces

- The Mirror: Royals' bloody trophy hunting past when Queen posed with tiger shot by Prince Philip

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