Chris Monk
Well-known member
Mohamed rules the roost at Balmoral
Karin Goodwin, The Sunday Times
A BIRD of prey reared on Mohamed al-Fayed’s Highland estate and named after the Harrods owner has flown the coop and set up home at the Queen’s estate at Balmoral.
The red kite, bred as part of a conservation programme, disappeared shortly after being released into the wild from Fayed’s 65,000-acre Balnagown estate last year.
The bird, which was thought to be dead, has been tracked to the home of Fayed’s arch-enemies, the Windsors, 100 miles away in Royal Deeside.
Fayed has made no secret of his dislike for the royal family and has accused the Duke of Edinburgh of orchestrating the murder of his son Dodi and Diana, Princess of Wales, in the 1997 Paris car crash.
Yesterday the Egyptian-born tycoon said the bird’s choice of home was evidence that the royal family’s chickens had finally come home to roost.
“Part of my soul has left Balnagown with this bird and travelled to Balmoral, where it will be acting on my behalf to keep an eagle eye on the royal family,” he said.
“The coincidence is so great that there must be some divine intervention. As well as watching the royal family, I hope he takes every opportunity to shit on Prince Philip when he ventures outside his front door.”
“Mohamed” was one of 10 birds raised at Fayed’s estate in Easter Ross as part of a Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) scheme to re-introduce the red kite to Scotland.
Fayed took an active role in the fledglings’ welfare and named each of them after somebody connected with the estate. Each animal was tagged with a letter to identify it, including “M” for Mohamed and “G” for his factor, Gordon Robertson.
They were also fitted with lightweight radio transmitters before they were released to monitor their movements.
“The RSPB wanted a quiet rural place to release these birds and Mr al-Fayed was happy to offer Balnagown for that purpose,” said Robertson. “When they flew off, the RSPB were able to track all of them with the exception of Mohamed, who dropped off the radar.
“We presumed he had been killed. However, when he reappeared six weeks later, much to our amazement, he had taken up residence on the Balmoral estate. When he was told about this, Mr al-Fayed found it absolutely hilarious.
“The chances of this happening are a million to one. It’s amazing Mohamed is still there now, hovering over the royal family.”
Brian Etheridge, red kite project officer for the RSPB in Scotland, said: “It is a remarkable coincidence. Balmoral is a good place for red kites as there is an abundance of rabbits for them to feed on. Perhaps there may even be a breeding pair at Balmoral one day.”
The red kite, which has a reddish-brown body, angled wings and a deeply forked tail, has been saved from extinction in the UK by one of the world’s longest-running protection programmes. The first birds were reintroduced 16 years ago.
However, its numbers are still low, prompting the RSPB breeding programme, which aims to release 40 birds over the next three years. It has already enjoyed some success, with 76 pairs of kites recorded last year, up from 60 in 2004.
While Mohamed has found himself rubbing shoulders with royalty, not all of his brothers and sisters have been so lucky. One was mown down by a lorry while feasting on a rabbit on the A9.
It is understood that the Queen and Prince Philip, who are on a week-long cruise of the Western Isles, are not aware that Fayed’s bird has made its home on their 50,000-acre estate.
Last night Buckingham Palace declined to comment.
Karin Goodwin, The Sunday Times
A BIRD of prey reared on Mohamed al-Fayed’s Highland estate and named after the Harrods owner has flown the coop and set up home at the Queen’s estate at Balmoral.
The red kite, bred as part of a conservation programme, disappeared shortly after being released into the wild from Fayed’s 65,000-acre Balnagown estate last year.
The bird, which was thought to be dead, has been tracked to the home of Fayed’s arch-enemies, the Windsors, 100 miles away in Royal Deeside.
Fayed has made no secret of his dislike for the royal family and has accused the Duke of Edinburgh of orchestrating the murder of his son Dodi and Diana, Princess of Wales, in the 1997 Paris car crash.
Yesterday the Egyptian-born tycoon said the bird’s choice of home was evidence that the royal family’s chickens had finally come home to roost.
“Part of my soul has left Balnagown with this bird and travelled to Balmoral, where it will be acting on my behalf to keep an eagle eye on the royal family,” he said.
“The coincidence is so great that there must be some divine intervention. As well as watching the royal family, I hope he takes every opportunity to shit on Prince Philip when he ventures outside his front door.”
“Mohamed” was one of 10 birds raised at Fayed’s estate in Easter Ross as part of a Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) scheme to re-introduce the red kite to Scotland.
Fayed took an active role in the fledglings’ welfare and named each of them after somebody connected with the estate. Each animal was tagged with a letter to identify it, including “M” for Mohamed and “G” for his factor, Gordon Robertson.
They were also fitted with lightweight radio transmitters before they were released to monitor their movements.
“The RSPB wanted a quiet rural place to release these birds and Mr al-Fayed was happy to offer Balnagown for that purpose,” said Robertson. “When they flew off, the RSPB were able to track all of them with the exception of Mohamed, who dropped off the radar.
“We presumed he had been killed. However, when he reappeared six weeks later, much to our amazement, he had taken up residence on the Balmoral estate. When he was told about this, Mr al-Fayed found it absolutely hilarious.
“The chances of this happening are a million to one. It’s amazing Mohamed is still there now, hovering over the royal family.”
Brian Etheridge, red kite project officer for the RSPB in Scotland, said: “It is a remarkable coincidence. Balmoral is a good place for red kites as there is an abundance of rabbits for them to feed on. Perhaps there may even be a breeding pair at Balmoral one day.”
The red kite, which has a reddish-brown body, angled wings and a deeply forked tail, has been saved from extinction in the UK by one of the world’s longest-running protection programmes. The first birds were reintroduced 16 years ago.
However, its numbers are still low, prompting the RSPB breeding programme, which aims to release 40 birds over the next three years. It has already enjoyed some success, with 76 pairs of kites recorded last year, up from 60 in 2004.
While Mohamed has found himself rubbing shoulders with royalty, not all of his brothers and sisters have been so lucky. One was mown down by a lorry while feasting on a rabbit on the A9.
It is understood that the Queen and Prince Philip, who are on a week-long cruise of the Western Isles, are not aware that Fayed’s bird has made its home on their 50,000-acre estate.
Last night Buckingham Palace declined to comment.
