Prince Harry was spotted attending a Texas rodeo over the weekend – despite his wife’s longtime animal rights activism.
The Duke of Sussex, 37, was pictured attending the Stockyards Rodeo event in Fort Worth on Saturday dressed in a felt green cowboy-style hat that left the royal looking like a local buckeroo.
One attendee exclusively told DailyMail.com that three people who recognized Harry were shocked that he was there, particularly given Meghan Markle’s outspoken stance on animal rights.
‘It’s a quintessentially American event, where animals are made to perform,’ the insider said.
Referencing the time Harry called the First Amendment – America’s cherished founding principle – ‘bonkers’, the source said it was ‘shocking’ that he would attend an event that has long-been a core part of US culture.
‘Given he has such a lack of respect for the First Amendment and his wife is such an animal rights activist – it is shocking he thought he could show his face here,’ the attendee said, adding: ‘The funny thing is most people didn’t recognize him or care.’
Although Harry went largely unrecognized at the event, a candid image of him attending the rodeo found its way into the hands of his wife’s trusted journalist friend, Omid Scobie, who shared the snap on Twitter, while revealing a few details about the Duke’s Texas trip.
Prince Harry (top center), 37, was seen attending the Stockyards Rodeo event in Fort Worth, on Saturday, where he went mostly unrecognized. One attendee exclusively told DailyMail.com that those who did spot him were shocked he was there
The Duke was seen at the event without Meghan Markle, 40, an animal rights activist who reportedly influenced him to quit hunting (pair pictured at the NAACP Image Awards last month, when they were both last seen in public)
Many said they were shocked to see Harry at an event where ‘animals are made to perform’. Meghan, who is a patron of the London-based Mayhew Trust animal charity, often speaks out about animal rights and ending animal cruelty
‘Living his best American life,’ Scobie – who co-authored Finding Freedom, a flattering biography about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex – began his tweet.
‘Prince Harry was in Fort Worth, Texas this weekend and spent Saturday at the historic @cowtowncoliseum for the famous @StockyardsRodeo. The duke was spotted by locals enjoying some good ol’ Southern hospitality and a VIP tour of the venue.’
Harry certainly tried to dress the part for his visit to the Texas rodeo, donning an olive green cowboy hat and a pale green shirt, the sleeves of which were rolled up
According to People, former bull rider-turned-trainer Cory Melton, who also attended the event, posted and deleted the same image of the Duke, while claiming that Harry made a crack about his ability to compete at the rodeo.
‘Prince Harry hanging out at the rodeo this week… We get a lot of rodeo royalty but this is the first prince I’ve seen,’ the post shared by Cory’s company Melton Bull Co said.
‘Said he was going to enter the bull riding but the airline lost his rigging bag….’
The Duke was seen at the event without wife Meghan, an animal rights activist who reportedly convinced Harry to quit his much-loved hobby of hunting back in early 2018, allegedly prompting him to begin skipping out on the royal family’s annual hunts, which have long been a part of tradition within the Firm.
Meghan’s aversion to hunting is believed to have first caused issues within the royal family in 2017, when Harry reportedly took part in a wild boar hunt in Germany.
Realizing his then-girlfriend ‘wasn’t happy,’ Harry is said to have declined to join the Boxing Day hunt that year – and continued to avoid the event the subsequent years.
And in May 2020, it was reported that Prince Harry sold a pair of Purdey hunting rifles, thought to be worth around £50,000, in a private deal before the couple quit the UK for Canada and later moved to the US.
At the time, a friend of the anonymous buyer told The Sun: ‘He bought them because he wanted them, not because they belonged to Harry, but he was quite chuffed when he found out.
‘They are beautiful examples and he’s very pleased with them but he’s not the sort of person who wants to boast about the royal connection.’
Attendees at the rodeo wondered what it means for Meghan, an animal rights activist (pictured meeting a Jack Russell during her visit to Mayhew, an animal welfare charity in January 2019)
The Duchess of Sussex has been a long-time advocate calling for an end to animal cruelty and whose influence reportedly led Harry to stop joining in the royal family’s fox hunts
Referring to Harry and his brother William, conservationist Dr Jane Goodall previously told the Radio Times: ‘They hunt and shoot. But I think Harry will stop because Meghan doesn’t like hunting.’
What is The Mayhew Animal Home and what does it do?
Mayhew is a London-based animal welfare charity working to improve the lives of dogs, cats and people in communities in London and internationally.
Set up in 1886, it looks for innovative ways to reduce the number of animals in need through proactive community and educational initiatives and preventative veterinary care.
It works with homelessness charities across London to ensure people and their dogs can be kept together, and runs a Pet Refuge programme to provide shelter and care for the pets of people in crisis for short periods of time.
It also educates young people about animal welfare and the importance of responsible pet ownership, and rehomes cats and dogs.
Mayhew International works with governments, local communities and charitable groups to help improve animal welfare overseas.
Meghan, who is a patron of the London-based Mayhew Trust animal charity, often speaks out about animal rights and ending animal cruelty.
She is so keen on the Mayhew that she undertook a ‘secret’ trip to the sanctuary for cats and dogs in January 2020 before leaving the UK for Canada.
She also made an official visit while pregnant with son Archie in 2019. At its premises she has cuddled pets and chatted with staff and volunteers.
In 2020, Mayhew’s media officer, Satah Hastelow told Newsweek that Meghan has ‘been such a champion of animals and animal welfare. It’s always been a passion of hers.’
The former actress had two rescue dogs, a beagle named Guy and a Labrador-shepherd mix called Bogart.
While Guy came to the UK with Meghan when she moved from Toronto to live with Harry – and has since been spotted riding with the Queen – Bogart was too old to travel and had to stay behind with friends.
Before shutting down her social media accounts in 2017, animal lover Meghan, 37, often used Instagram to promote adopting dogs rather than buying puppies.
She once penned: ‘As a proud rescue dog owner, I know from personal experience the joy that adopting an animal into your home can bring.’
Meghan added: ‘The role that we, as people, play in rehoming and rescuing these animals is vital, but the role of organizations such as Mayhew is unparalleled.
‘What initially struck me about Mayhew specifically is their community based approach not simply on rehoming animals, but in the preventative care that inhibits these cats and dogs from ending up in shelters in the first place.’
Harry’s appearance at the rodeo came on the heels of he and Meghan attending the NAACP awards on February 26, where they accepted the President’s Award at the NAACP Image Awards.
Animal rights activist Meghan reportedly convinced Harry to give up his much-loved hobby of hunting after they began dating in 2016. Prior to that, the Duke (pictured left in Norfolk in 1995 and right with a water buffalo kill in Argentina in 2005) had been known to go on hunting trips all over the world
Prince Harry’s last major solo outing was at the Super Bowl last month. He is pictured in the Rams’ locker room following their victory
The Duke, wearing a tuxedo as he stood next to Meghan in a bright blue dress, said he was grateful for being honored by the NAACP and that he and his wife were meant to be together to help others despite their supposed differences.
‘I think it’s safe to say that I come from a very different background from my incredible wife, yet our lives were brought together for a reason.
‘We share a commitment to a life of service, a responsibility to combat injustice and a belief that the most often overlooked are the most important to listen to.’
The couple also paid tribute to the conflict in Ukraine, saying : ‘We would like to acknowledge the people of Ukraine, who urgently need our continued support as a global community.’
Harry’s last major solo outing was when he was spotted attending the Super Bowl last month and celebrating in the Rams’ locker room following their victory
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10588289/Prince-Harry-slammed-attending-rodeo-Texas-despite-wifes-animal-rights-activism.html
