Brian May has hit out at Britain’s Princes William and Harry for their recent Spanish hunting holiday.
The former Queen rocker says the royal brothers make him feel "sick" after they hunted wild boar, stag and partridge just days before William, 31, backed a campaign to condemn the killing of endangered wildlife.
Brian said: "It made me feel sick. This is right at the heart of the problem we are looking at in this government.
"It’s the whole attitude of the privileged classes – you can rescue rhinos and elephants in Africa but kill at will anything you want if you’re rich.
"It’s an attitude I’m very familiar with as I’m used to talking to people who justify tearing living foxes apart with packs of dogs."
The 66-year-old guitarist then went on to compare their hunting to slavery in the 19th century as he believes the slaughtering of animals is "inhumane".
He explained to The Sun newspaper: "Such people would insist slaves didn’t feel like they did. Now they’re saying these animals don’t feel like we do so it’s OK to hunt them and do what we want with them.
"That is an archaic way of thinking and it has to go."
Prince Harry, 30, has been struck with furthermore criticisms recently after a photograph emerged of him posing with a dead buffalo, which he shot in South America in 2004.
Both princes are supporters of international efforts to stop illegal poaching and they attended a conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade last week with their father Prince Charles to discuss ways to help save endangered animals.
Brian May: Prince William and Harry’s hunting holiday makes me ‘sick
