Princess Kate‘s approach to parenting is notably modern, a significant shift from the traditional upbringing of Royal children within the monarchy. While she is undoubtedly preparing her three children, Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, six, for their future Royal roles, she and Prince William prioritise their children’s wellbeing above all else.
According to a Royal author, when it came to one centuries-old royal tradition, that Kate believed was inappropriate for her three youngsters to be put through, she wasn’t afraid to “put her foot down” and refuse they take part.
Tom Quinn made this claim in his forthcoming book Yes Ma’am, as seen by the Mirror. The longstanding tradition that Kate opposed is known as “blooding”, a practice often upheld by the royals who frequently engage in blood sports such as shooting and hunting.
“Blooding the royal children, a tradition in which a prince or princess’s face is smeared with the blood of his or her first kill, whether it happens to be a stag or a fox,” Quinn writes. “King Charles was blooded after his first fox was killed and after shooting his first stag. Charles’s daughter-in-law, Catherine, Princess of Wales, has put her foot down and insisted there will be no blooding for her children.”
Prince Harry has given a detailed account of the traditional ritual he underwent after his first kill, as described in his memoir ‘Spare’. Following the killing of a stag, the gillie overseeing the hunt, named Sandy, performed the act of ‘blooding’ on Harry, reports the Mirror.
“Sandy snapped at me: ‘Closer! ‘ Close enough to smell Sandy’s armpits. He placed a hand gently on my neck, and now I thought he was going to hug me, congratulate me. ‘Atta boy.’ Instead he pushed my head inside the carcass,” Harry recounted.
“I tried to pull away, but Sandy pushed me deeper. I was shocked by his insane strength. And by the infernal smell. My breakfast jumped up from my stomach. ‘Oh please oh please do not let me vomit inside a stag carcass.’ After a minute I couldn’t smell anything, because I couldn’t breathe. My nose and mouth were full of blood, guts, and a deep, upsetting warmth.
“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 felled my lungs with fresh morning air. I started to wipe my face, which was dripping, but Sandy grabbed my hand.”
Rather than allowing Harry to clean himself off, Sandy insisted that he leave the blood to dry on his face.