Prince Harry blasted by PETA for Texas rodeo attendance

Prince Harry is copping heat for his latest US appearance — rocking up at a Texas rodeo despite his wife Meghan Markle’s animal rights activism.

Prince Harry has come under fire from animal rights groups for attending a Texas rodeo — and he may face the wrath of his animal-loving wife.

The Duke of Sussex, 37, was pictured in a cowboy hat as he chatted to crowds at the Stockyards Rodeo event in Fort Worth on Saturday.

He is understood to have been without Meghan Markle, 40, at the event.

One witness told the Daily Mail: “It’s a quintessentially American event, where animals are made to perform.

“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 funny thing is most people didn’t recognise him or care.”

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One onlooker said Harry almost slipped through the even unrecognised. Picture: BetterUp

Harry has since been publicly criticised by animal rights group PETA, which labelled his unusual appearance as “extremely disappointing” given the reputation of rodeos for encouraging animal “suffering”.

“It’s extremely disappointing to see that Prince Harry made the misjudgment to attend a rodeo, a crude, old amusement for bored cowboys who view animals as nothing more than things,” Catie Cryar, a PETA assistant manager, said in a statement.

Harry at a rodeo in Texas. Picture: Omid Scobie/Twitter

“In these events, participants use electric prods, flank straps, and spurs to burn, wound, terrorise, and provoke animals who are trying to flee for their lives.”

Cryer added: “Animals commonly sustain broken bones, punctured lungs, snapped necks, or torn muscles, and they sometimes die in an arena — and even those who don’t end up scared out of their wits at a slaughterhouse — so anyone who cares about animals should avoid these spectacles of suffering.”

PETA has released a statement blasting the Prince. Picture: Getty Images.

A raft of other animal rights groups have slammed rodeos in the past due to their treatment of horses.

The animals are forced to perform and can often suffer fatal injuries – including heart attacks, broken necks and even aneurisms.

Meghan is a staunch animal rights activist and even reportedly talked Harry out of attending royal fox hunts.

She is also a patron of the London-based Mayhew Trust animal charity and has been pictured cuddling pets at the premises.

Mayhew’s media officer Satah Hastelow previously described Meghan as a “champion of animals and animal welfare”.

Meghan is a staunch animal rights activist, previously revealing she tries to maintain a vegan diet most days. Picture: Getty Images.

Rodeos have been a tradition in states like Texas, California, Colorado, Florida, Oklahoma and Wyoming for many years.

Organisers insist their animals are well looked after and follow rules governed by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA).

Today’s events must have a vet on site at all times and animals that are injured or unhealthy must be removed straightaway.

But animal rights campaigners, such as PETA and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), have blasted the events.

The latter branded rodeos “a cruel form of entertainment that involves the painful, stressful and potentially harmful treatment of livestock”.

Meghan and Harry have copped criticism in the past for hypocritical moves. Picture: Getty Images.

UNITED WITH UKRAINE

Harry’s appearance comes after he appeared alongside Meghan on stage at the NAACP Image Awards.

The couple, who received the President’s Award for special achievement and distinguished public service, waded in on the Ukraine crisis.

Harry said: “Before I begin, we would like to acknowledge the people of Ukraine, who urgently need our continued support as a global community.”

Meghan and Harry previously showed their support for Ukraine in a statement condemning Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of the country.

They wrote on the website of their Archewell charity: “Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and all of us at Archewell stand with the people of Ukraine against this breach of international and humanitarian law and encourage the global community and its leaders to do the same.”

This article originally appeared on The Sun and is reproduced here with permission