Queen's daughter wonders about eating horse meat

London: Britain's Princess Anne says Britons should consider changing their attitude toward eating horse meat.

The queen's daughter, a former British Olympic equestrian competitor, says creating a market for horse meat may improve the welfare of horses because owners would take better care of them if they had more value at the end of their lives.

The princess spoke on Thursday at a conference on horse welfare. Other countries, notably France, value horse meat but Britain has no strong tradition of eating it.

Anne said she raised the question "because I think it needs a debate."

Anne is one of the country's top officials at the International Olympic Committee and rarely makes headlines with her opinions.