Prince Harry once described a deeply disturbing rite of passage he experienced as a teenager—one that may soon confront the next generation of royals.
In his memoir Spare, published in 2023, the Duke of Sussex gave a vivid and unsettling account of a royal hunting ritual known as “blooding.” This tradition, centuries old and steeped in the culture of aristocratic sport, involves smearing a hunter’s face with the blood of the first animal they kill. In some cases, the ritual is even more graphic.
Harry was about 15 when he killed his first stag at Balmoral. The moment that followed would leave a lasting impression. According to his account, a guide named Sandy placed a hand behind his neck and forced his head inside the animal’s open carcass. “I tried to pull away, but Sandy pushed me deeper,” he wrote. “My nose and mouth were full of blood, guts and a deep, upsetting warmth.”
He recalled the overwhelming smell, the sensation of suffocating, and the raw physicality of the act. After being pulled out, Harry said he gasped for air. As he instinctively tried to wipe his face, Sandy reportedly stopped him and told him to “let it dry.”
Despite the shock, Harry later admitted to feeling “swelling pride” over the experience. He also shared that his very first blooding came even earlier, when his nanny, Tiggy Legge-Bourke, had dipped her fingers in rabbit blood and gently smeared it on his face.
A debate within the royal family about passing on the ritual
The hunting tradition has long been part of royal life, with King Charles and both his sons—William and Harry—taking part in blooding during their youth. But it has become an increasingly controversial subject, especially amid public criticism from animal rights advocates and modern expectations around childhood.
In early 2024, the topic re-emerged following reports that Prince George, the eldest son of Prince William and Princess Kate, might be introduced to blooding as early as this summer. This was notable in part because Kate has previously been firm in her opposition to the ritual.
In the book Yes Ma’am – The Secret Life of Royal Servants by Tom Quinn, an excerpt shared by Femail revealed that the Princess of Wales had been “adamant” that none of her children—George, Charlotte, or Louis—would take part in the custom. “Catherine… has put her foot down and insisted there will be no blooding for her children,” Quinn wrote.
Still, speculation has grown in recent months, with unnamed palace sources suggesting the possibility that George could join his father and grandfather in the tradition, continuing the line of succession in royal field sports.
The royal family’s relationship with hunting is deep-rooted and symbolic, but as society shifts and public values evolve, rituals like blooding raise new questions. For some, they are an echo of heritage. For others, they are a reminder of how far removed royal traditions can be from modern sensibilities.