Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis must now keep pet chickens indoors as hundreds of the birds are culled a mile from their home in bird flu outbreak

Published: 06:49 EST, 12 November 2026 | Updated: 06:51 EST, 12 November 2026 Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis have been told they must keep their chickens indoors after an outbreak of bird flu was confirmed near their home.The outbreak occurred at a commercial farm near their Anmer Hall country home in Norfolk after a strain of avian influenza was found on Monday.The children are known to have helped raise the small flock of chickens and regularly collect the eggs from the henhouse to use in the kitchen.But the chickens will now have to be locked in their coop after Norfolk's first case of bird flu this autumn was confirmed at the farm by the Government.The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) said highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 has been discovered and a 1.8 mile protection zone and a surveillance zone have now been put in place around the site.The hen houses, part of King Charles’ Royal Sandringham estate, are within that zone and the field is less than one mile from Anmer Hall. The protective zone means there are restrictions on the movement of birds and eggs and on people coming into contact with them.The Palace have been contacted by the Daily Mail for comment. Prince William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales and their three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are seen in Norfolk, England Pictured: The hen houses in Sandringham, Norfolk, that are at the centre of a bird flu outbreak The outbreak occurred at a commercial farm near their Anmer Hall country home in Norfolk (pictured) after a strain of avian influenza was found on MondayAPHA said all the poultry on the farm will be humanely culled and all bird keepers must now follow stringent biosecurity measures in addition to the protection and surveillance measures.The UK's chief veterinary officer has issued a mandatory poultry housing order covering all of England and Scotland. Since yesterday, all poultry and captive birds must be kept indoors if there are 50 or more of them. The Prince and Princess of Wales previously opened up about their animals on a visit to Northern Ireland.'We've had lots of animals during lockdown,' Kate, 44, shared. 'During lockdown, animals are often like therapy.' And William revealed they had acquired 'lots of chickens'.The couple currently have two English Cocker Spaniels named Orla and Otto, while their first dog Lupo passed away in November 2020. They are also said to keep guinea pigs at home.The risk to the general public's health posed by bird flu is very low, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Food Standards Agency said it posed a very low food safety risk.You cannot vaccinate poultry or most captive birds against bird flu in England.The number of cases of bird flu in the UK so far this autumn now stands at five, while the total for the year 2026 to 2027 is eight.