Britain’s Prince William has called for all the ivory in Buckingham Palace to be destroyed.
The Duke of Cambridge recently launched the charity United for Wildlife – which aims to end the illegal wildlife trade – and the second-in-line to the throne now revealed that he wants all of the ivory at the royal residence to be removed to encourage people to take up the fight against poaching.
The royal collection is comprised of approximately 1,200 items spanning over hundreds of years, including a throne from India, and William hopes if the British royal family set an example it will persuade other heads of state to follow suit.
Leading primatologist Jane Goodall told the Independent on Sunday newspaper that William – whose wife is Duchess Catherine – had personally informed her he would "like to see all the ivory owned by Buckingham Palace destroyed".
The prince’s wish comes just days after he attended the world’s largest ever conference on the issue at London’s Zoological Society which called for an end to the £12 billion illegal trade in animals and their body parts. The campaign was highly successful last year with at least 45 tons of ivory seized in what’s believed to have been the largest haul in 250 years.
William’s father Prince Charles has also been encouraging the move and is believed to have asked for ivory items at Clarence House and his Highgrove property to be put out of sight over the last few years but experts say William’s plans for destruction will send a powerful message to the world.
William, 31, attracted criticism ahead of his speech at United for Wildlife when he photographed hunting for boar in Spain with his brother Prince Harry, 29.
Prince William calls for destruction of Buckingham Palace ivory
