London: In an unusual development, Britain's King Charles III has made the astonishing move of bestowing a royal title on a rare golden goat breed. As of now, the goat breed famous for its connection to the island of Guernsey will now have the honour of the special title of Royal Golden Guernsey Goat, in a move to increase awareness for the breed.
The title bestowed by the British monarch during his tour to the island in the English Channel will apply to the livestock breed anywhere in the world. “Hopefully this will raise awareness for the breed,” said Rebecca Martin, the owner of eight-year-old Summerville Tamsin, the goat chosen to represent the breed.
According to BBC, this is the first time in recent history that the protected title has been granted to a livestock breed. Royal titles are granted very infrequently, on the advice of the Cabinet Office with strict standards applied. Lt Gen Richard Cripwell, Lieutenant-Governor of Guernsey, said the decision was "wonderful".
“You’ve got to keep it all going. I hear there is interest on the mainland too, which is wonderful," said Charles after the ceremony. Queen Camilla, who was seen wearing a bandage on her right ankle due to a sprained ligament, joked with well-wishers about having to “hobble along.”
About the Royal Golden Guernsey Goat
The Golden Guernsey Goat is a breed which is distinguished by its golden skin and hair, which range in hue from pale blond to deep bronze. These goats are a rare breed and considered “at risk” on the Rare Breeds Watchlist. Considered friendly and docile, they are believed to produce good milk.
The breed has a unique history - it was discovered by local woman Miriam Milbourne in the 1920s, who hid them during the Nazi occupation of the island in the 1940s. She then started a feeding programme in the 1950s to ensure their survival, according to reports.
Christopher Price, the chief executive of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, said the honour offers recognition of the breed’s historical significance and its value to biodiversity, the environment and sustainable food production. "We are extremely grateful to his majesty for his continued, greatly valued support for British rare native livestock and equine breeds," Price said.
"The recognition being granted to our special and rare breed, the Golden Guernsey, is a wonderful and fitting way to mark the significance of His Majesty’s first visit to the island as King," said Cripwell, after the honour bestowed to the goat breed.
During the tour to the Channel Islands, the King sampled a new craft beer named in his honour and the Queen was given some vintage cheddar for her birthday, according to The Telegraph. "I'd better not have too much," the King joked while taking a sip of the 'Charles beer'.
Earlier, abruptly pulled from their royal duties over a security concern on Monday, according to multiple reports. The Queen was eating an ice cream on the first day of their visit to the Channel Islands when a protection officer informed that they needed to leave immediately due to an alleged threat to their security. The threat later turned out to be a false alarm.
(with AP inputs)
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