Three animal rights activists accused of taking lambs from the King's Sandringham Estate said they believe that His Majesty would have 'consented' to their 'rescue'.

Rose Patterson, 37, along with Sarah Foy and Rosa Sharkey, both 26, are said to have made their way onto Appleton Farm in Norfolk where they took the three animals.

The women, who posted videos of themselves at the farm wearing pink Animal Rising T-shirts, handed themselves in to Berkshire Police the following day.  

Their case is being heard at Norwich Crown Court this week, where they aim to 'force large-scale changes to UK law'.

Opening the case today, prosecutor Dingle Clark described it as an 'intriguing case' as there was 'no doubt as to who took the three lambs'.

The three defendants, he said would claim that the act was 'justified' as the animals would have been exposed to 'unlawful welfare standards' and needed to be 'rescued'.

But he told the jury that the prosecution's case was that there was 'no lawful reason to take them'.

'The actual offence goes back to May 2023 and the three defendants are charged with stealing, from the Sandringham Estate, three lambs,' Mr Clark told Norwich Crown Court.

'This particular incident was discovered because the three defendants turned up and handed themselves in to the Windsor police station, which you'll know is in the Thames Valley police area.

'They said that the night before they had, at about 8pm, gone to King Charles's estate in Sandringham and taken three lambs.

'They said they were from a particular group which givers its name as Animal Rising. They said the reason they'd gone all the way to Windsor was because that's where the King lived.'

Mr Clark added while the King was the official owner of the lambs, head stockman Gordon Robinson had the authority to make a statement and give evidence and had reported that the value of the loss was £400-500.

Mr Robinson, who was head stockman from 2017 to 2024, said the farm had been inspected three times in five years by Defra and had been confirmed 'compliant'.

In a statement read to the court by the prosecutor, he said: 'We unapologetically rear forest-fed lambs to sell for consumption.'

Lambs are reared until they are ready for slaughter 'between 16 and 52 weeks of age', while ewes would be mated at around 18 months old and 'will typically have four to six flocks in their breeding life'.

Some lambs 'are kept for breeding, not slaughter', he added.

Mr Robinson said in his interview: 'The three people who took the lambs did not have permission to be on the land or have permission to take the lambs.'

Video of the theft had been placed online, Mr Clark said, and Mr Robinson had identified the field where the lambs were taken.

'Intriguingly in this case, unlike some cases of theft, there's no doubt as to who took the three lambs. It's Miss Sharkey, Miss Patterson and Miss Foy,' Mr Clark told the court.

'You might say what is the issue you have to determine…

'What happened was after each of them handed themselves in to police , each was asked questions.

'Each of them on May 24 said they had taken recent steps to rescue three lambs from the estate.

'They said they can't be returned or they'll be exposed to unlawful welfare standards and my actions were justified. I believe King Charles III or anyone else would have consented to the lambs' rescue.

'The issue you'll have to consider is whether the three defendants acted dishonestly. You'll have to apply your own standards to their conduct.

The prosecution says that this particular behaviour was such that they took the lambs, there was no lawful reason to take them, the lambs didn't belong to them and they knew the lambs didn't belong to them…'

Mr Clark said this meant the defendants 'acted dishonestly and there's no claim or right or any other claim that would indicate that they have not acted dishonestly'.

He added: 'It may be that they have reasons but none of that moves the fact away that this was property taken away from another and kept dishonestly.'

The defendants were allowed to sit in the back row of the court rather than the dock as they are choosing to represent themselves.

The court heard in a brief, five-minute period, about the police investigation, which involved reviewing the footage and photos of the alleged thefts being published on Twitter and YouTube by Animal Rising.

The prosecutor read out a prepared statement that all three defendants gave to police when they were interviewed.

They said they took 'necessary steps' to rescue the lambs 'after I became aware of another injured animal at the site in previous days – something I believed to be a crime and in breach of UK animal welfare regulations'.

They continued: 'In doing so, I understand they cannot be returned or they will be exposed to, what I believe, to be unlawful welfare standards and harm and eventually killed for their meat and so my intention is to support their safe and secure rescue for the rest of their natural lifespans.

'My actions are necessary and justified; in removing a sentient being from harm, I am also raising awareness of the moral injustice done to animals in our inefficient and destructive food system.

'I believe that King Charles, or anyone else responsible for the lambs, would have consented to the lambs' rescue.'

The statements said farming and fishing were 'leading causes of climate collapse and are incompatible with out legal Net Zero targets'.

They also claimed sheep farming uses '16 per cent of the land but provides only one per cent of dietary calories', while the UK is 'one of the most deforested and nature-depleted countries in the world' due to animal farming and grazing, yet 'our government is failing to act'.

They concluded: 'We have a solution and it is a safer, secure and more sustainable food system that is animal-free and where we grow enough of our food for calorific and nutritional needs.

'I defend my actions in acting out of necessity to save the life of these animals and shine a light on our broken relationship with animals and the natural world.'

A statement from Animal Rising said: 'The defendants acknowledge deliberately rescuing and removing the lambs but have pleaded not guilty to theft.'

The activists videoed the alleged incident in West Newton on May 24, 2023, with clips showing them sitting in a field with grazing sheep and carrying the lambs onto a truck.

They then stood outside Windsor Castle with signs reading 'I rescued the King's sheep' the following day before presenting themselves at Slough police station.

The lambs, which were named Sammy, Sunny and Sooty, were reportedly handed over to a third-party for safe-keeping and their current locations are unknown.

So-called open rescue, where activists use 'non-violent and transparent' tactics to 'rescue' animals in captivity was first used by protesters in Victoria, Australia.

Animal Rising, a vegan protest group that is an offshoot of climate group Extinction Rebellion, added: 'In the context of the UK, the open rescue tactic is an attempt to create strong case law foundations to give a legal basis for the rescue of animals from animal testing, farms or other industries.

'The potential legal ramifications of trial outcomes could force large-scale changes to UK law.'

The Sandringham Estate consists of 2,400 hectares of farmland, with an additional 4,000 hectares rented by tenant farmers. There are around 3,000 royal sheep present.

The trial continues.