Britain's Prince George is seen in this photograph taken at his home in Norfolk in mid-July, and released by Kensington Palace to mark his third birthday, in London, Britain July 22, 2016.
Britain's Prince George is seen in this photograph taken at his home in Norfolk in mid-July, and released by Kensington Palace to mark his third birthday, in London, Britain July 22, 2016. Matt Porteous/Duke and Duchess of Cambridge/Handout via Reuters

Prince George turned 3 on Friday, and Kensington Palace released a series of his photographs to mark the momentous celebration. What his parents Prince William and Kate Middleton didn’t know is that one of the images would invite negative comments from some animal welfare organisations.

In one of the four images released, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s firstborn is seen feeding his pet cocker spaniel Lupo an ice cream. The innocent picture has raised concern among animal activists, who said George was feeding the dog poison.

Britain's Prince George is seen with the family pet dog, Lupo, in this photograph taken in mid-July at his home in Norfolk and released by Kensington Palace to mark his third birthday, in London, Britain July 22, 2016
Britain's Prince George is seen with the family pet dog, Lupo, in this photograph taken in mid-July at his home in Norfolk and released by Kensington Palace to mark his third birthday, in London, Britain July 22, 2016 Matt Porteous/Duke and Duchess of Cambridge/Handout via Reuters

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSCPA) has said that while George obviously didn’t mean the dog any harm, his feeding of dairy and chocolate to the dog is dangerous for the canine.

“It is lovely that Prince George is trying to help keep his family dog, Lupo, cool in these high temperatures,” RSCPA said in a statement. “We would advise people to be cautious when giving their dog food meant for human consumption as some items, like chocolate, can be highly toxic to dogs and dairy items can be difficult for them to digest.”

Dogs Trust charity’s veterinary director, Paula Boyden, also thought George was potentially putting Lupo’s life in danger. “The cow’s milk and sugar content in ice cream can sometimes lead to digestive issues,” she was quoted by the Guardian as saying. “Whenever you do treat your dog, do consider the ingredients and always seek the advice of your vet.”

Lupo isn’t seen actually eating the ice cream in the photo, but that doesn’t stop a few Twitter users to call for George’s “resignation.” Yes, the 3-year-old royal, who is third in line to the British throne, is wanted by some people to be punished for animal cruelty. Some of them appear to be joking about punishing a toddler, while others want his parents to be responsible.

The photos (click the images above for the rest) were shot by Matt Porteous at the Duke and Duchess’ family home in Norfolk recently. It is unknown how George celebrated his birthday, though maternity nurse Sarah Dixon, who has worked with William and Kate’s friends, thought the royal family would have a low-key countryside party with local kids.

“I don’t think it will be over the top. It will be a low-key countryside affair and there will definitely be local kids from nursery there,” she was quoted by People as saying.

George’s younger sister, Princess Charlotte, would naturally be in the party, as well as his young cousins, including Mia Tindall.

“If there’s a bouncy castle, Kate will be on it, I’m sure!” Dixon said. “I can imagine her doing a three-legged race across the garden with the kids and just being very normal and hands on.”

RELATED STORIES