King Charles 'Livid' as He Faces Canceling Christmas Tradition at Country Estate: Report
King Charles may have to cancel a long-standing royal holiday tradition
The annual holiday shoot at Sandringham, Norfolk, is reportedly threatened by a decline in pheasant numbers
Following Queen Elizabeth's example, Charles continues to host the royal family for Christmas at his Norfolk estateKing Charles may have to call off an annual holiday tradition.
The King, 76, is said to be "livid" over a potential shortage of pheasants at his Sandringham Estate — possibly affecting the chances of a full shooting calendar this winter.
Charles inherited the estate, located about 110 miles north of London in the countryside, from his late mother, Queen Elizabeth. There, birds are reared in the wild for the annual shoots.
But the number of birds currently available has dropped, which may force Charles to cancel the traditional Boxing Day shoot — a central part of the royal family's Christmas holiday plans, The Sun reported.
A long-serving gamekeeper, responsible for managing the bird population on the estate, is said to have been let go in a recent staff shake-up.
Charles, who continues to undergo weekly treatments for cancer, is reportedly 'livid' over the situation, The Sun said. A source told the outlet, 'It was a total cock-up. No birds, no bang, just red faces. The King wasn't having it.'
Known as a champion of wildlife and the countryside, Charles supports traditional practices — and is said to oppose importing birds from elsewhere for the customary rural pastime.
However, the paper added that maintaining pheasant and other game bird populations has been 'challenging,' leaving pheasant numbers in decline.
Buckingham Palace, which doesn't comment on staffing matters, declined to respond to PEOPLE.
Like the late Queen, Charles hosts much of the extended royal family at Sandringham House over the Christmas holiday. Prince William, Princess Kate and their three children — Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 7 — have a country retreat, Anmer Hall, on the estate, and are usually based there.
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In 2018, George was taken on his first grouse-hunting expedition at the family's Scottish estate, Balmoral.
Charles took over the running of the estate before his late mother Queen Elizabeth died in Sept. 2022, and has encouraged a switch to organic farming and has been re-modeling some of the magnificent grounds. Two years ago, he introduced a topiary garden at the front of the house. More than 5,000 Yew tree hedging plants, which will stand alongside more than 4,280 herbaceous perennial plants and flowers, including yellow and pink rose varieties such as Gabriel Oak and Skylark, were planted.
He has also painstakingly designed and developed his gardens at another country home, Highgrove House, in Gloucestershire, western England.
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