‘Meghan Markle doesn’t like…’: When Prince Harry gave up his hobby, prized possession worth £50,000 after marriage

Prince Harry gave up his most prized possession after marriage to Meghan Markle. Once an enthusiastic hunter, photographed with a water buffalo he had shot in 2005, he sold a pair of handmade hunting rifles under the influence of the Duchess of Sussex.

The Sun reported that the Duke of Sussex parted with the much-loved gift worth £50,000 in 2020. The hunting rifles were handed to its new owner in a private deal, who was oblivious to the fact that the newly bought Purdey firearms bore a royal connection.

“He bought them because he wanted them, not because they belonged to Harry, but he was quite chuffed when he found out,” The Sun quoted the friend of the new rifle owner as saying. He further mentioned that the pair of handmade hunting rifles are beautiful and the new possessor is “very pleased with them but he's not the sort of person who wants to boast about the royal connection.”

Prince Harry gave up his blood sports before moving to Canada with his wife Meghan Markle. The couple subsequently moved to Los Angeles. Prince William's brother made the ethical decision as his wife did not approve of the sport.

British primatologist Dr Jane Goodall, known for her research on chimpanzees, had predicted in April 2020 that the Duke would give up hunting. The 86-year-old Dr Goodall is a friend of the couple and had been to Frogmore Cottage in Windsor as a guest, which was the couple's former home. Replying to the question of whether Prince Harry and his brother Prince William are champions of the natural world, she said, “Yes – except they hunt and shoot,” Radio Times reported.

A deer and wild boar hunting trip in Spain in 2014 marked another of Prince Harry's expeditions with Prince William. The Guardian reported that this development came a day before the Prince of Wales launched a high-profile appeal to stop the illegal hunting of wildlife. Furthermore, in the same year, a 10-year-old photograph of Prince Harry surfaced, showing him crouched over the body of a water buffalo he had shot dead in 2004 during a hunting trip in South America.