The Unspeakable In Pursuit Of 740 Partridge

Stag 

By Rebecca English, Royal Correspondent,

Daily Mail (UK)

Lastupdated at 9:22 AM on 17th January 2012

They bagged themselves several brace of pheasant at Sandringhamover Christmas.

    But at the weekend Prince William and Prince Harry set theirsights on bigger game.

    The brothers flew to Spain on Friday for a secret hunting trip tocelebrate the end of Harry's advanced helicopter training.

    The royal pair were staying on an estate in the backwaters ofrural Cordoba owned by the Duke of Westminster, Gerald Grosvenor, Britain'sthird-richest man and one of William's godfathers.

Finca La Garganta

Finca La Garganta, near the village of Conquista, on the borderof Castilla La Mancha, is one of the largest and most exclusive hunting estatesin western Europe.

   It is teeming with wildlife including wild boar and stag whichWilliam and Harry, both crack shots, are said to be keen to bag.

Wild Boar

Beaters and packs of dogs were brought in to ensure that theprinces did not return home without several 'kills' to their name.

    The brothers have visited the estate before and last time weresaid to have bagged a staggering 740 partridge on a single day.

    The second and third in line to the throne arrived in Spain onFriday on separate flights as they are not allowed to travel together in caseof an accident.

    William , 29, who was not believed to be accompanied by his wife,the Duchess of Cambridge, flew into Seville while Harry, 27, arrived on aprivate jet at Cuidad Real Central later in the afternoon.

Partridge 

 

They took up residence in a ten bedroom villa with a group offriends and their Scotland Yard bodyguards, one of three luxurious huntinglodges built at the heart of the estate at a cost of several million pounds bythe reclusive Duke.

    It has marble floors, wooden beams - and its own jacuzzi andsauna.

    The estate has just one  – practically impassable – publicroad, its own petrol station and a fleet of armed security guards driving 4x4sto keep any undesirables at bay.

    More than 15,000 hectares in size with a 40 mile perimeter, theFinca also boasts  a private train station and accommodation for nearly100 staff.

    It is understood that William took his then girlfriend, KateMiddleton, to the estate a couple of years ago when they took part in a wildboar and deer hunt involving hundreds of local beaters.

 

 

This Sporting Life In Spain -- 2011 -- Stag

 

     According to one local employee, they killed 'dozens' of animalsthat day.

     'They were mostly very good shots, ' said an estate employee.

     Their latest trip was organised  as an early celebration tomark Prince Harry's graduation as a fully operational Apache attack helicopterpilot.

This Sporting Life In Spain -- 2011 -- Partridge

He is due to be assigned to one of the Army Air Corps Apachesquadrons at RAF Wattisham in Suffolk and could be posted back to the frontlinein Afghanistan by the end of the year.

     The holiday is also something of a farewell for William who isdue to be stationed in the Falkland Islands with his RAF Search and Rescue crewfor six weeks from next month.

This Sporting Life In Spain -- 2011 -- Wild Boar

Locals said the princes remained on the estate all weekend andwere due to fly back yesterday.

     A Clarence House spokesman said: 'We cannot discuss the movementof the princes as they are on a private weekend.'

Modern rendering of Wild Boar painting in cave at Altamira, Spain, ca. 14,000 B.C.  "After Altamira, all is decadence" (attributed to Picasso). 

The Unspeakable