Prince William Slammed for Taking Prince George Grouse Hunting — What Would Meghan Markle Say?
Hunting has been a tradition in the royal family for centuries. Both Prince William and Prince Harry have joined royal shooting parties since they were kids. Therefore, it was no surprise when Prince William recently took seven-year-old Prince George grouse hunting near Balmoral Castle in Scotland. Since Harry married Meghan Markle, he has rarely joined his family for hunting trips. The Duchess of Sussex doesn’t approve of guns and hunting. What would she say about William and George’s recent outing?
Jane Goodall predicted Prince Harry would give up hunting for Meghan Markle
According to Tatler, Prince Harry’s friend Dame Jane Goodall told the Radio Times in the spring of 2020 that she believed the prince would give up hunting for his wife. Goodall says she checked in on the couple after they moved to the United States in March post-Megxit.
“I think Harry will stop because Meghan doesn’t like hunting, so I suspect that is over for him,” Goodall said.
The British primatologist explained that both Prince Harry and Prince William were known for their activism against the illegal wildlife trade and supporting the conservation of endangered species. But, at the same time, they both hunt. The family often hunts together during holidays at the Queen’s Scottish estate, Balmoral.
There have been reports of tension between Harry and Meghan over the hunting issue. The duchess opposes hunting for sport and she is also an animal rights activist.
Prince George joined Prince William for a grouse shoot
Prince William and Kate Middleton recently took their three children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis – to Balmoral for an end-of-summer holiday. The Cambridges spent time with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. Prince William also took the opportunity to take his oldest son hunting.
The Daily Mail reports that William and George joined other senior royals on Saturday, August 29 for a shooting party in Corgarff, which is a short drive from Balmoral. They spent the morning hunting birds while Prince George watched from the sidelines.
This isn’t the first time the seven-year-old has watched his father shoot guns. It appears that the young royal – who is third in line to the throne – will be raised in the country sports tradition that his family loves so much.
The royal family continues to support the practice despite protests from those who oppose hunting and guns.
Prince Harry has missed the annual grouse hunt three years in a row
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reportedly accepted an invitation from Queen Elizabeth to join her at Balmoral this summer. However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the Sussexes to cancel their plans. Instead, they stayed at home in Montecito, California with their son Archie Harrison.
This isn’t the first time Prince Harry has missed out on the family’s traditional grouse hunt that takes place during the British banking holiday weekend. In 2019, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle decided against going to Scotland for the holiday because their son was too young to travel.
In 2018, Prince Harry didn’t join the shooting party even though he and Meghan were staying with the Queen at her Aberdeenshire estate. According to The Sun, many speculated at the time that Meghan was to blame for Harry’s absence.
Neither Prince Harry nor Prince William would have skipped out on a hunting party as kids. Princess Diana jokingly called the boys her “killer Wales” because of their love of hunting and shooting.
