Prince George, the eldest child of Prince William and Princess Kate, may soon be introduced to a longstanding royal tradition: stag-hunting. Even at only 11 years old, Prince George has already shown a keen interest in caring for all living things. His evident enthusiasm makes him an obvious candidate for more participatory programming that has been loved, in various forms, in royal and aristocratic courts for hundreds of years.
This summer, Prince George and his family plan to spend time at Balmoral, a Scottish retreat favored by the royal family. The beautiful location provides the chance for the young royal to enjoy the outdoors without the prying eyes of the media. Bookmaker’s reports suggest he has no fear of beasts. Truth is, he loves doing things that would give most people serious anxiety.
As Prince William recently revealed, it’s his 5-year-old son’s specific obsession with snakes. During a trip to Northern Ireland in 2021, he stated, “George is obsessed with snakes, he’s going to be so upset he missed this.” Such passion for the wild fauna suggests that Prince George is more than prepared to meet and overcome the trials and tribulations of a hunt.
Although some people find stag-hunting barbarous, it is a custom that the House of Windsor have indulged in for centuries. The late Queen Elizabeth, for one, avidly enjoyed deer stalking. She enjoyed hunting with her husband, the late Prince Philip, and with the more traditional royal family hunting grounds. In addition, Prince Harry hunted stag in his youth, underscoring the activity’s deeper roots in royal tradition.
As the firstborn and future King, Prince George might be the only child of the Wales family invited to partake in this tradition initially. It is likely that siblings Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis will eventually join him in these pursuits as they grow older.
The Palace has been mum on speculation that Prince George will be initiated into stag-hunting. Duncan Larcombe, a royal expert, noted, “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.” This unprecedented silence has allowed the rumor mill to run rampant with speculation about whether the young prince will actually undertake this rite of passage.
