King Charles III announced that royal residences will no longer serve foie gras. The monarch responded to a call from the “People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals” (Peta).
Buckingham Palace will no longer serve foie gras: King Charles III has removed this French specialty from the tables of royal residences, according to a letter from the palace to “People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals” (Peta). For a long time, Charles has actively supported nature conservation, ecological agriculture, and combating climate change, and he is regarded as a long-time opponent of foie gras.
“Thank you for your letter regarding the ethical issues of foie gras,” the British king wrote in his reply to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. “I can confirm that the royal household neither purchases foie gras nor serves it in royal residences, and there is no intention to change this policy.”
Elizabeth II, who passed away on September 8, was said to be very fond of foie gras. At a state banquet in Paris in June 2014 with then-President François Hollande, she enjoyed foie gras pâté.
As a token of thanks, Peta sent the king a box of “fake foie gras,” a product made by the restaurant of London vegetarian chef Alexis Gauthier. Peta wrote in a press release: “We encourage everyone to follow the king’s example and refrain from eating foie gras at Christmas and beyond.” Foie gras is considered a delicacy, usually consumed during Christmas, currently allowed to be imported and sold in the UK, but production is banned within the UK.