Prince William 'calls for Buckingham Palace ivory to be destroyed'

 Duke of Cambridge follows Charles's lead by urging removal of all ivory in 1,200-item royal collection, according to reports

Press Association Prince William 'calls for Buckingham Palace ivory to be destroyed'

theguardian.com, Monday 17 February 2014 / The Guardian / http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/feb/17/prince-william-buckingham-palace-ivory-destroyed?CMP=fb_gu

The Duke of Cambridge wants all ivory in the royal collection at Buckingham Palace to be removed and destroyed, it is reported.

Days after the duke gave his backing to a campaign against elephant poaching, the leading primatologist Jane Goodall told the Independent on Sunday (IoS) Prince William had told her he would "like to see all the ivory owned by Buckingham Palace destroyed".

The royal collection contains about 1,200 artefacts dating back hundreds of years.

During the past few years, Prince Charles has reportedly asked for all ivory items at his Clarence House and Highgrove homes to be removed from sight.

The Conservative MP Zac Goldsmith applauded the duke's stance, saying: "It's difficult to imagine a stronger symbol of the horrors of ivory than Buckingham Palace publicly destroying its own. Good for Prince William for pushing this."

The conservationist Dr Paula Kahumbu told the newspaper such a move would send a powerfu message. She said: "It would be a demonstration of them putting their money where their mouth is. It would be extremely significant and visual, and might help Britons hand in their ivory, illegal or legal."

A spokesman for the duke refused to confirm or deny any private comments he is said to have made, the IoS reported.

Last week, Prince William offered his support to a campaign against elephant poaching when he addressed a symposium of leading conservationists gathered by his United for Wildlife organisation.

In a speech, he and Charles also called on the world to turn its back on illegally traded animal parts such as ivory and rhino horn.

On Thursday, William, Charles, Prince Harry and the prime minister, David Cameron, attended the world's largest conference on the illegal trade in wildlife, held in London.

Forty-six nations and 11 international organisations were at the Illegal Wildlife Trade conference, at which world leaders agreed steps to protect endangered animals from poachers.

Illegal trade in animal parts such as rhino horn and elephant tusks is worth more than an estimated £11.5bn each year.