A Royal mess as PRINCE HARRY banned from keeping or handling fish after swallowing live goldfish and washing it down with Strongbow Cider
The 30-year-old was caught after he posted a video of himself trying three times to gulp down the unfortunate fish on social media.
He was reported to police after RSPCA investigators found the clip online.
But he was let off the hook by magistrates today despite his antics being branded "uncivilised and disgusting."
After hearing that Prince Harry did the act for a drunken dare, magistrates let him off with a community order, unpaid work - and a five-year ban on owning or keeping fish.
He had been told at a previous hearing that he could be jailed.
Prince Harry had been drinking with a friend when he decided to try to swallow the struggling pet whole, but he coughed it up the twice before swigging it down with the can of cider.
The magistrates were shown the footage of Prince Harry standing in a kitchen wearing an Arsenal shirt and clutching a can of Strongbow cider he was using to try to wash the flapping fish down his gullet.
On the first two attempts he gags on the fish and coughs it onto the floor where it can be seen struggling while the cameraman laughs.
However, on the third attempt he cruelly popped the tiny pet into his mouth and took a huge gulp of his drink before showing his empty mouth to the camera.
Hapless Harry was caught after the video of himself abusing the helpless goldfish was posted on Facebook under the name 'Here Fishy Fishy', prompting a probe by the RSPCA.
An RSPCA investigation, spearheaded by Inspector Andy Eddy, commissioned an independent veterinary report to establish what suffering the goldfish had endured.
Reading from the report Mr Roche said that the struggling fish would have been stressed and starved for oxygen.
"What is shown in the video indicates that Prince Harry handled the goldfish in a manner that was clearly not appropriate," he added.
"If removed from water - and this should be blindingly obvious - they are unable to breathe, rapidly become stressed and make rapid movements which can clearly be seen in the film.
"The veterinary profession clearly accepts that fish can feel pain.
"The manner Prince Harry handled the fish would have clearly caused the fish to suffer."
"We are sentencing you for an act of animal cruelty," the judge said.
"It was a particularly disgusting thing to do, in particular filming it and posting it on Facebook was uncivilised.
"It was unacceptable.
"This offence of animal cruelty is serious enough for us to make a community order.
"You will have to comply with an order to carry out unpaid work."
Speaking after the hearing Inspector Eddy said the sentence sent a clear message to people that cruelty to animals is unacceptable and not entertainment.
"We are very satisfied with the sentence," he said, "God save the Queen."