Last Friday, Prince George turned three. He and is already beginning to get a taste of public life as a royal.
Kensington Palace released a few photographs of the celebratory party. But unfortunately, his parents Prince William and Kate Middleton had no clue that the photographs were going to create a storm.
One of the photographs shows the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's firstborn giving his cocker spaniel Lupo an ice cream. This immediately raised the hackles of animal welfare activists.
It was a dangerous act, said The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSCPA). Even if the child did not mean Lupo any harm.
Of course, he did not. But still, he has to learn the lesson fast---seems to be the public opinion.
"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, said that the prince was putting the dog 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."
Even though Lupo is not actually eating the ice cream, a number of tweets actually called for George's "resignation," while a number of others said that he should be punished for "animal cruelty".
It is not clear whether they were just joking, or whether they were seriously driving home a point.
Tweeted Dawn Foster: "I will not rest until Prince George is brought to justice for feeding a dog ice cream."
IFSP wrote: "Prince George needs chucking in prison for feeding that dog an ice cream, irresponsible animal cruelty paid for by the taxpayer."
Fiona Natasha-Syms went on: "Prince George accused of animal cruelty for feeding ice cream to his dog. More cruelty say dogs."
Robin Johnson said: "Two complaints about Prince George's official photos: you shouldn't feed dogs ice cream, and the monarchy is an archaic & undemocratic insti."
Ronan McCann: "How dare #PrinceGeorge try to murderify Lupo by force feeding him a @MagnumUK ice cream. I won't rest until he is locked up."
A number of counter-tweets followed, though.
Wrote Nelson Armstrong: "For heaven's sake people! Lighten up! Royals criticized over a photo of Prince George feeding dog ice cream."
The photographs during the party had been taken by Matt Porteous at the Duke and Duchess' family home in Norfolk. How he celebrated his birthday is not really clear. But messages from the photographer Matt Porteous is carefully worded: "I really enjoyed the opportunity to take these photographs of Prince George. It was a very relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere. I'm honoured that they have decided to share these images with the public to mark his third birthday."
Ironically, Kensington Palace public messages too are formal, and they "thank" everyone for messages: "The Duke and Duchess hope that people will enjoy seeing these new photographs. They would like to thank everyone for all the lovely messages they have received as Prince George celebrates his third birthday."
