After adorable photographs emerged showing Prince George and Princess Charlotte playing together during a family day out, it didn’t take long for people to criticise the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s over their son’s controversial choice of toy.
The third-in-line to the throne was snapped playing with a plastic toy gun as the Cambridge’s watched William play in a charity polo match on Sunday. However the innocent photos triggered a heated debate online, with people describing the situation as “sad” and “not okay”.
Prince George and Princess Charlotte looked totally at home with a group of family and friends on Sunday at the Maserati Royal Charity Polo Match, where they larked about on the grass while their mum Catherine watched on.
But it was four-year-old George’s use of a toy gun, which he was seen pointing at other children, before directing the barrel at his mum Catherine, which sparked outrage and left people questioning why the young royal had been allowed to play with it.
One angered Twitter user wrote: “Sad to see George playing with a gun when the whole country has a gun/knife crime situation.”
Another said: “This isn’t okay anymore… My American side here, biased maybe because of everyday #gunviolence in USA, but my British side agrees. No child in this day and age should look at any gun as a fun toy. This looks far too real.”
https://twitter.com/daisytorme/status/1005901211256713217
However, not everyone was so critical about the future King’s plaything, with many people rising to the Prince William and Catherine’s defence suggesting the toddler should be “left alone”.
One user wrote: “People are complaining because Prince George had a plastic gun I had a plastic gun when I was little guess what I grew out of it I didn’t grow up to be a mass shooter or become obsessed with guns I hate guns now so just leave the boy alone and let him be a child.”
Another user suggested the controversy was a case of “political correctness gone mad, while another asked: “So what if Prince George was playing with a gun????”
The controversy comes after a busy week for the royal family, after the Queen celebrated her official birthday at the annual Trooping the Colour ceremony on Saturday, where the newlywed Duke and Duchess of Sussex also made their first appearance on the famous Buckingham Palace balcony.
HRH Prince Philip also celebrated his 97th birthday on Sunday, despite being absent for the weekend’s celebrations.