Prince William and Kate Middleton’s oldest child, Prince George, is growing up so fast. The future king, 11, is slowly starting to come into his own as a royal. He’s attended a number of royal events alongside his parents, but he also makes appearances at sports games and other laid-back moments, too.
This summer, George is joining his parents at Balmoral alongside his younger brother and sister, but there is reportedly a “gruesome” way he’ll bond with his father now that he’s getting older.
Prince William and Kate Middleton with a young Prince George | John Stillwell/WPA Pool/Getty Images
Prince George could have blood on his face during this year’s Balmoral trip
The royal family has a number of longtime traditions that have remained in place for years. Every year, the family takes a trip up to Balmoral in Scotland, where they spend the end of summer together and away from royal duties and the public eye. It’s become a way for all of them to reconnect.
It’s not uncommon for the royals to take part in some hunting while on this trip. And in typical royal fashion, there is a longtime tradition that belongs to those who hunt for the first time: They must wear the blood of the first animal they kill on their face.
According to Express, royal commentator Duncan Larcombe suggests that this could be the first year Prince George partakes in the tradition. “It was reported that he will join his father on a stag-hunting shoot while they visit the Balmoral estate this month,” Larcombe told Woman Magazine. “Traditionally, the blood of a hunter’s first kill is spread on their face, a ritual that goes back centuries.” Even Kate Middleton has reportedly been a part of the tradition, although Larcombe said that there was no word from the palace about whether or not this would be the year George joins.
Prince William and Kate Middleton are trying to give Prince George a normal life
George will someday be king, but William and Kate both want his upbringing to reflect the way Kate was raised. William spent a lot of time in the spotlight as a child, and he and Kate have both made clear that their children’s privacy comes first.
William and Kate have slowly begun introducing their kids to the spotlight, but they are taking it one event at a time. George has been spotted at a couple of soccer games with his father, while Princess Charlotte recently accompanied her mother to Wimbledon. Prince Louis, though, is still a bit too young to be in the limelight, so he mostly sits out of the events, though he does make at least one annual appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony.
