Did Prince William Learn Nothing? George Forced Into ‘Gruesome’ Royal Tradition Despite PETA Backlash
The royal family is deeply rooted in its centuries-old traditions and culture. While several monarchs have sought to move with the times and bring much-needed change to modernize the Crown, some traditions are still greatly treasured. One of them is stag hunting, and the latest royal family member to allegedly participate is Prince George. Prince William and Kate Middleton’s decision to have their firstborn take part in the 'gruesome' event comes as a surprise, as the couple previously faced immense backlash from PETA over the same.
Hunting is a cherished sport in the royal family. William and Prince Harry are known to have gone on their first hunt when they were younger than George. With George set to turn 12 this month, royal author Duncan Larcombe has claimed that he will partake in his first ‘stag-hunting shoot’ soon. According to Hello! magazine, the author said, “It was reported that he will join his father on a stag-hunting shoot while they visit the Balmoral estate this month. Traditionally, the blood of a hunter's first kill is spread on their face, a ritual that goes back centuries.” Larcombe added, “The Palace has refused to comment on claims that Prince George will be initiated into one of the slightly more gruesome royal traditions this summer.” The young Prince’s hunting debut is expected to take place when the whole family spends some quality time at the Scottish retreat. However, it is still unclear if George will be the only one participating in the tradition or if Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis will join.
Previously, the royal family’s annual hunting practices have been widely criticized by animal rights activist groups. When William and Middleton took their five-year-old George to watch royal hunts in 2018, the Vice President of PETA, Mimi Bekhechi, condemned the decision. According to the Daily Express, Bekhechi said, “For a child to be compelled to witness such casual killing – and by a parent he looks up to, no less – is potentially as harmful to his or her psyche as it is to the bird's very life.” Arguing how witnessing such cruelty towards animals may give the little Prince nightmares, she added, “It can desensitize children to the suffering of animals, which is cause for concern, given the well-established link between cruelty to animals in childhood and antisocial behavior in adulthood.” She urged the Prince and Princess of Wales to teach George ‘respect for all living beings,’ which she stressed would help him become a compassionate leader. PETA recently also slammed the couple for promoting dog breeding when William, on his birthday, shared a picture with their new pups.
Coming back to George, royal experts have been particularly concerned about the tradition of blooding. When a royal child embarks on their first hunt, their face is smeared with the animal’s blood. Harry has written about the horrifying experience of his first stag hunt at Balmoral in his memoir Spare. He shared that the smell of the carcass made him puke. Middleton, too, is known to be not a fan of blooding and has allegedly put her foot down against it. As per the Daily Mail, author Tom Quinn, in his book Yes Ma’am: The Secret Life of Royal Servants, claimed, “Charles's daughter-in-law, Catherine, Princess of Wales, has put her foot down and insisted there will be no blooding for her children.”