Princess Michael of Kent said that “animals don’t have rights” because they do not pay taxes or vote, it has been reported.
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She went on to explain that people have “obligations” towards animals, but these creatures do not have rights, since they don’t pay taxes.
The princess, who is married to the Queen’s cousin, told an audience at the Henley Literary Festival that despite being an animal lover she thought it was wrong to extend rights to animals.
Princess Michael of Kent is no stranger to controversy with her loose-lipped ways and opinionated offerings, but this latest royal outburst is sure to offend anyone who has ever kept a brightly-colored bird in a three-foot cage or lovingly placed a tropical fish in a 15-liter tank. Prince Harry just recently returned from Africa after working to stop illegal animal poaching and of course Prince Charles has been crusading for animal rights for decades now.
She said: “I sometimes see them sitting on the drive [at Kensington Palace] and I shout ‘Tally ho!’ very loudly”.
The princess was talking about slavery and said attitudes to human rights have shifted today, along with the responsibilities individuals feel. You only have rights if you pay your taxes.
‘They don’t have rights.
‘Animals might not pay taxes but they certainly work harder than this f***ing waste of space’. “You earn your rights”. All living things have rights, and they don’t have to “earn” them either, it’s called their “birthright”, something all royals and members of the aristocracy should be all too familiar with. She reportedly owns 14 fur coats and after she was spotted wearing one in 2007 she was sent a faux fur version by PETA.
In an interview about her book, Agnes Sorrell: Mistress of Beauty, Princess Michael discussed the changing morals of society and how the public viewed “rights” across the centuries.
Princess Michael, who is descended from many branches of European aristocracy, also spoke of her previous career as an interior designer, and why she changed paths to write novels instead.
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Animal rights groups branded her assessment “daft” as it means that children and certain adults are also not entitled to rights.
