Prince William’s best friend was frisked in his pyjamas by police during a raid on his Norfolk estate to investigate illegal gamekeeping.
William van Cutsem, a godfather to Prince George, was searched on his doorstep in a 10.30pm swoop on farm buildings at Hilborough House estate near Swaffham nine days ago
Officers were searching for signs that gamekeepers on the 4,400-acre property had been using illegal methods to kill wildlife that posed a threat to the estate’s renowned flock of wild partridges.
Mr Van Cutsem, pictured with Prince William (right) in 2009, is Prince George’s godfather
It is illegal to target protected birds of prey such as buzzards or use outdated traps and poison to cull predators.
Hilborough gamekeepers use legal methods for vermin control, including the shooting of foxes and trapping of crows.
Officers left having found no evidence of any wrongdoing, but Mr Van Cutsem was said to be ‘rattled’ by the incident, which saw him ‘frisked in his pyjamas’ outside his neo-Georgian mansion.
A friend told The Mail on Sunday that the 42-year-old suspects that a malicious complaint was made by a disgruntled former employee who was allegedly also behind baseless accusations on a community Facebook page.
Mr Van Cutsem’s niece Grace was affectionately dubbed the ‘grumpy bridesmaid’ for covering her ears on the Buckingham Palace balcony at the 2011 wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Another niece, Florence, was a bridesmaid at Prince Harry’s wedding.
The Queen’s Sandringham estate is 24 miles away from Hilborough House and the Van Cutsems are stalwarts of the Royals’ ‘Turnip Toff’ social set.
Mr Van Cutsem’s father Hugh, a friend of Prince Charles, was a banker and a passionate conservationist who died in 2013.
Prince William is a regular visitor to the Hilborough estate, which has won awards for its conservation work and is regarded as one of the leading wild-bird shoots.
Friends fear that the association with the Royal Family makes the Van Cutsems an easy target for critics, and a source close to him said Hilborough has been praised by the RSPB, the wildlife charity, for protecting endangered species, including curlews, lapwings and grey partridges.
Last night Mr Van Cutsem described his recent brush with the law as ‘extremely disappointing’ and ‘entirely avoidable’.
Norfolk Police confirmed that it had received an allegation of an offence being committed under the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act.
A spokesman added: ‘Officers from the Operation Randall rural crime team attended woodland close to the A1065 at Hilborough. Enquiries are ongoing.’