King Charles 'livid' as major Royal Family tradition to end

A major Royal Family annual tradition could soon come to an end after an issue on the Sandringham estate. Every year on Boxing Day, members of the Royal Family are believed to gather at Sandringham – where many also spend Christmas day with the monarch – for a day of shooting pheasants.

The activity has been carried out on the estate for decades, with most royals having taken part at one point or another. However, as reported by The Sun this week, this may soon be set to change.

This is because, according to reports, the royal estate is running out of pheasants to shoot. This is said to have left King Charles, 76, “livid”.

It has also been reported that a long-serving gamekeeper at the Norfolk estate – which is one of the few remaining wild shoots in the count – has been let go from his role.

A source told The Sun: “It was a total cock-up. No birds, no bang, just red faces. The King wasn’t having it.”

The King does not want to release birds from breeders to increase the population.

Instead, the pheasants shot tend to have been reared on the estate, but low numbers of pheasants have now put the shooting activity at risk.

While it is considered to be a royal Boxing Day tradition, it is believed that not every royal takes part.

Although unconfirmed, it is believed that Meghan Markle – who only spent two Christmases at Sandringham – was not a fan of pheasant shooting.

Meanwhile, Princess Kate, 43, has been seen on a number of occasions joining her husband Prince William, 42, and other royals on shoots.

Buckingham Palace did not respond to The Sun’s request for comment. Express.co.uk has also contacted the Palace for comment.