Sitting duck: Flightless goose named for Britain's Kate shot

The goose may be cooked for two Canadian teens who were arrested and face multiple charges for allegedly shooting a waterbird named after Kate, Britain's Duchess of Cambridge.

Kate, a brown-and-white Asiatic goose, and her lifemate William were fixtures in a pond at a cemetery in the town of Picton, about 200 kilometers east of Toronto on the shores of Lake Ontario.

According to police and the Glenwood Cemetery, vandals broke into the pond enclosure on March 21 and shot at the geese and other waterfowl using a pellet gun.

Dozens of ducks fled but William and Kate could not escape because their wings had been clipped.

Two suspects, aged 17 and 18, were charged with killing an animal other than cattle, possession of a dangerous firearm and trespassing, Canadian police announced today.

If convicted, they could face a maximum penalty of five years in prison and fines.

William and the geese's many admirers were left "heartbroken over Kate's untimely and senseless death," according to the cemetery.

Volunteers who fed the pair had named them after Britain's royal couple following Prince William and his wife Kate's first official international outing in 2011 to Canada.