No charges for Prince Harry over rare birds

LONDON (Reuters) - Prince Harry will not face charges over the shooting of two rare birds of prey on one of the Queen's country estates, prosecutors said on Tuesday.

Harry was questioned by police investigating the shooting of two protected hen harriers at the Sandringham estate in Norfolk last month.

A spokesman for his father, Prince Charles, said Harry and a friend were in the area at the time of the shooting but were not involved.

"The bodies of the hen harriers have not been found and there is no forensic or ballistic evidence," the Crown Prosecution Service said in a statement.

"Witnesses also heard unexplained shooting in the area before the three suspects said they were present at the scene, so other people cannot be ruled out.

"The three suspects, who were interviewed by police, all denied that the birds were killed by them."

According to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the hen harrier is one of Britain's most persecuted birds of prey because it poses a threat to grouse.

The grouse hunting season traditionally begins in August and ends in December.

Harry, 23, is third in line to the throne and has often courted controversy in recent years, gaining a reputation as a "wild child" by dabbling in marijuana and under-age drinking as a 17-year-old.

He graduated as an army officer from Sandhurst military academy last year.