Looks like King Charles isn’t going to have a very merry Christmas. So, what could be eating at him? Worried that he won’t get any presents? Sad that his estranged son and grandchildren won’t be visiting? Nervous about his health after his ongoing cancer treatments? Nope, Charles is apparently furious that it looks like this Christmas will pass without him getting to blast animals with a shotgun. As per a story in The Sun, Charles is “livid over a series of blunders” which means there simply aren’t enough living pheasants on the grounds at the royal residence of Sandringham. Their source says, “No birds, no bang, just red faces. The King wasn’t having it”. The King has now fired the long-standing gamekeeper responsible for making sure his grounds are teeming with pheasants destined to end their lives in a shower of bloody feathers and gore. The said gamekeeper is apparently “well and truly plucked off”. And who can blame him, as it’s arguably Charles’ fault his garden is no longer a target rich environment. Hello! says King Charles is “devastated” that a key royal tradition might end. What heroic act? Not charity or hard work—just shooting pheasants on Sandringham. Truly heartbreaking that the king’s favourite pastime could be disrupted. Priorities, right? pic.twitter.com/KdlEbExYsD— Protect the Wild (@ProtectTheWild_) June 4, 2025 That’s because, in line with his long-standing crusade for the environment, he’s been adamant that Sandringham remain a “wild shoot”, i.e. that the birds live naturally in the location they’re shot in rather than being released shortly before the shoot and being bred in captivity. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to keep their population high when you’re shooting the animals you’re trying to cultivate. What’s a Christmas without killing? All of which means this Christmas will likely see King Charles miserable and brooding, likely sat cradling his loaded shotgun facing an open fire wistfully imagining the carnage he could be inflicting right now. Here’s hoping he doesn’t have a few too many glasses of port and decide that, darn it, it’s Christmas and he’s going to murder something – anything – before the day is out! In the meantime, animal rights activists are rolling their eyes at this “problem”, pointing out that the vast majority of people manage to enjoy Christmas without blasting an animal with a shotgun. If he absolutely has to have some family-bonding time, why not just shoot at some clay pigeons or, I dunno, break out Monopoly or Scrabble? Others point out that Charles is the Royal Patron of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), making it extremely hypocritical that he thinks Christmas is ruined without the opportunity to be cruel to animals.