Prince Harry Recalls 'Barbaric' Royal Tradition Now 'Forced' on George: 'I Couldn’t Breathe...'
The Royal family is deeply rooted and shaped by its centuries-long traditions. One cherished hobby is the annual event of stag hunting at Balmoral. It is customary for royal family members to participate in hunting, including the tradition of ‘blooding’ when they reach a certain age. However, not everyone has fond memories of it, especially Prince Harry, who was forced to think about death when his face was pushed literally into the carcass of his hunt. Now, his 11-year-old nephew, Prince George, who would be turning 12 soon, is next in line, being 'forced' to partake in the same.
Harry got candid about his experience of participating in the 'gruesome' act in his memoir Spare. According to Tyla, the Duke revealed how, after his first stag kill at Balmoral, a guide named Sandy pushed his face into the 'warm' carcass of the animal. He penned, “He placed a hand gently behind my neck, and… pushed my head inside the carcass. I was shocked by his insane strength. And by the infernal smell. My breakfast jumped up from my stomach.” After a minute of his head pushed into the dead animal’s body, the Prince shared that he could not ‘smell anything’. "I couldn’t breathe." He detailed how his nose and mouth filled with blood as he was filled with the ‘upsetting warmth.’ This, Harry claims, forced him to think about ‘death.’ The Prince was only 15 at that time. He explained, “Well, I thought, so this is death. The ultimate blooding. Not what I'd imagined. I went limp. Bye, all. Sandy pulled me out. I filled my lungs with fresh morning air. I started to wipe my face, which was dripping, but Sandy grabbed my hand.” The guide allegedly told him, “Nae, lad, nae. Let it dry, lad! Let it dry.”
Harry was seemingly not entirely upset about the tradition as he felt ‘swelling pride’ about his hunt later. Being pushed into the stag, head first, was also not his first ‘blooding’ as it was earlier done by his nanny who dipped her fingers in rabbit blood and gently smeared it on his face. Fast forward to the present, reports swirl that Prince William and Kate Middleton’s firstborn would soon participate in the tradition at Balmoral. Previously, Middleton had put her foot down against the participation of her kids, George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, in ‘blooding.’
Royal author Tom Quinn, in his book, Yes Ma’am-The Secret Life of Royal Servants, detailed Middleton’s stance on the tradition. According to the Daily Mail, Quinn explained, “Charles’s daughter-in-law, Catherine, Princess of Wales, has put her foot down and insisted there will be no blooding for her children.” It is still unclear whether the Princess of Wales is now on board for George’s first hunt. However, all previous heirs, including William and King Charles, have experienced the same at an early age in their lives. The family has, over the years, hence, received immense backlash from animal rights activist firms, such as PETA.