Edward, what ARE you doing? Prince appears to be aiming gun perilously close to his young son

• Prince Edward raised his 12-bore shotgun to his shoulder during the shoot on the Queen's Sandringham Estate
• Prince Edward's son James, Viscount Severn, appeared to be standing slightly forward and to his father's side
• Buckingham Palace insisted that at no stage was Viscount Severn placed in any danger during the shoot 
• Prince Edward, 50,  brought his six-year-old son, who held a black Labrador, on the shoot yesterday morning

Peering intently down the barrel of his 12-bore shotgun, Prince Edward steadies himself and takes aim… then, astonishingly, appears to shoot over the head of his young son.

By any standards it is a startling image and evidence, it would seem, that Edward has broken one of the cardinal rules of gun safety.

Instead of shooting with his son behind him, which good practice dictates, six-year-old James, Viscount Severn – wearing ear defenders – appears to be 10ft in front, and only a few feet to his father’s side.

+4

Prince Edward, right, takes aim while his son, James, Viscount Severn, left, stands some 10 feet in front and a few feet to his father's side

+4

Six-year-old James, holds onto his black Labrador while his father Prince Edward, right, looks at the dog at the Queen's Sandringham Estate

Former Minister Norman Baker, who was responsible for gun laws during his time at the Home Office, said last night: ‘There are some basic principles that should be observed for safety reasons and they appear not to have been followed. I personally think it is not appropriate to have children that young at shoots anyway.’

Mike Yardley, a leading shooting instructor, said: ‘You should never have children in front of you because the problem with children is they run around. It’s not something I would allow.

‘Sometimes you have a dog forward of the shooter, but not people. They are always behind. But it’s very difficult for me to judge it without seeing the situation.

‘It’s bad practice to have people closely forward of the shooter’s line. But the individual shooter must always have the final decision as to what he considers to be safe.’

RELATED ARTICLES

• Previous
• 1
• Next

• Queen's chef fired after arrest for punching and headbutting... Harry and the Hookah: Puffing a bubble pipe, twerking in a... Young Queen plotted to stop Margaret becoming regent:...

Share this article

Share

The incident happened while Edward, the Earl of Wessex, was aiming at a pheasant during a shoot on the Queen’s Sandringham estate in Norfolk yesterday morning.

A witness said he swung his gun from left to right as the bird rose from a maize field.

A countryside manager, who organises pheasant shoots in the south of England, insisted that bystanders, especially children or dogs, should always stand ‘ten to 15 metres behind the shooter, never in front’. He added: ‘The same applies if the children and dogs are used as pickers-up. They must stand behind until the shooter has shot. And most shoots I’ve come across do not even allow young children.’

Buckingham Palace insisted last night that the ‘perspective [of the pictures] is very misleading. At no time during the shoot was Viscount Severn directly in front of the Earl of Wessex.

‘As always during any sporting event on the estate, the highest safety standards were adhered to. Any suggestion that the Earl would risk his son’s welfare in any way is simply untrue.’

+4

Prince Edward, right, stands alert looking for a target to his right, while his son James stands to his left and slightly ahead of his position

+4

Buckingham Palace described the perspective of the photographs as 'very misleading' claiming at no time was Viscount Severn, right, 'directly in front of the Earl of Wessex' centre. 'Any suggestion the Earl would risk his son's welfare in any way is simply untrue,' claimed the Palace 

Despite the criticism, Edward, 50, was supported in some quarters. The British Association for Shooting and Conservation described him as an experienced shot and said he was ‘taking every precaution’.

A spokesman said: ‘The child is wearing ear defenders. Everyone who shoots puts safety first. Prince Edward would not have taken an unsafe shot. I believe the camera foreshortened the distance between the two. The child is not in front of the barrels.’

However, the association’s own website clearly states: ‘Always be aware of the direction in which the muzzle of your shotgun is pointing and never point it in an unsafe direction.’

Dressed in a camouflage jacket and matching hat, young James kept control of their black labrador during the shoot.

At one stage he seemed to pull the dog back when it appeared to try to jump up at his father.

Edward was also joined by his wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex, and his 11-year-old daughter, Lady Louise Windsor.

All are believed to be staying with friends at Wood Farm on the 20,000-acre estate. An onlooker said: ‘James is not old enough to shoot himself, but it seems like he was having great fun.’

Six years ago Edward was seen reacting violently when two black labradors appeared to grab a dead pheasant during a shoot on the Queen’s estate.

Photographs showed him rushing at the animals with his shotgun tucked under his arm and a 4ft stick raised in the air.

He could then be seen bringing it down several times towards them, but it was not clear whether the prince actually hit either of the dogs.

The RSPCA investigated the incident, but announced there would be no prosecution as there was ‘insufficient evidence’ to support the allegation that he mistreated the animals.

The golden rule of shooting is captured in a poem called A Father’s Advice, in which shooting enthusiast Mark Hanbury Beaufoy writes: ‘If a sportsman true you’d be/Listen carefully to me/Never, never, let your gun/Pointed be at anyone.’