The activists spoke out after the Guardian revealed that dozens of UK laws state police are banned from entering any of the Queen’s private properties without her consent to investigate crimes ranging from wildlife offenses to environmental pollution. The Guardian also revealed that police and official regulators had been investigating a series of alleged wildlife and pesticide offenses against legally protected birds of prey at the Queen’s private Sandringham estate in Norfolk. Buckingham Palace previously declined to comment. Ruth Tingay, the co-director of the environmental group Wild Justice, which is pushing for stronger nature protection laws, said the royal family’s decision not to respond “looked like a huge cover-up”. “How are they allowed to get away with this? How many other incidents of predatory prosecutions have been uncovered on royal estates?’ asked. Documents and other reports show Sandringham was the focus of successive police and regulatory investigations between 2005 and 2016. Norfolk Police and Natural England, an official agency that seeks to protect the country’s environment, have been investigating the deaths of a goshawk, a house sparrow, a red kite, a tawny owl and a woodpecker on the Sandringham estate and nearby land , but only one prosecution was brought. Police interviewed Prince Harry and two others in 2007 about the shooting of two chicken coops. They denied involvement. The prince’s spokesman said at the time that police had contacted him and a friend to ask if they had any information that could help, as they were both in the area. The Crown Prosecution Service did not prosecute anyone. The revelations are embarrassing for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) as the Queen has been its patron since 1952. The charity was asked if it was seeking a meeting with the royal household to discuss the line of inquiry or whether it had a view on the alleged crimes against birds. He refused to answer. In a general statement, it said: “We believe it is in the best interests of all landowners to co-operate fully with any investigation so that, where the Crown Prosecution Service deems it appropriate, legal action can be taken.” Wildlife crime investigators have said it is normal practice not to notify the target of a police investigation before a search for evidence takes place. The Guardian revealed last week that personalized exemptions for the Queen in her capacity have been written into more than 160 laws since 1967, giving her sweeping immunity from parts of British law. These include 31 laws that prevent police from entering private Balmoral and Sandringham estates without their permission to investigate suspected crimes, a unique privilege not granted to any other private landowner in the UK. Tingay said: “This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. It just gives everyone a chance to clean up if there’s anything there and then call the police the next day. And of course, there will be nothing to find. I can’t think of that happening in any other area.” Norfolk Police previously said any complaints “on or near the Sandringham Estate are investigated in an open and transparent manner with the full co-operation of the Sandringham Estate”. Natural England declined to comment on the cases.
