Hunting memorabilia has been removed from the royal Sandringham estate.
Former WWF president Prince Philip
More than 60 items including ivory and rhino horns have been cleared from the royal trophy room at the Norfolk estate and put into storage, in an attempt to distance the royal family from a bygone era of animal cruelty.
Explaining the decision in a message to visitors as the estate opened again following the winter break on Saturday (04.04.15), the museum said: "Thankfully, due to the work of organisations like the World Wide Fund for Nature, whose President was HRH Prince Philip until 1996, this destructive era is drawing to a close - the camera having replaced the gun in recording the sightings of these magnificent animals."
In total, 62 items including an Indian tiger, stuffed rhino heads, and a leopard have been removed, with the blood-red walls also painted white in an attempt to forget the past.
The decision comes four months after questions were raised about the legality of five of the items in the exhibit, although a source said those responsible for the collection insist no laws have been broken.
Speaking about the decision, a spokesperson for Buckingham Palace told the Daily Mail newspaper they had decided to make the changes as part of an "ongoing process" of improving the exhibits.
He said: "Changes were made to the Sandringham museum during the winter closure as part of an ongoing process of updating and refreshing the displays."
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