Kate Middleton refused to let her kids have ‘Blodding’ Initiation: New Book

Kate Middleton put her foot down to spare her children from a bloody tradition, according to a forthcoming book. Tom Quinn’s Yes, Ma’am – The Secret Life of Royal Servants reveals that the Princess of Wales insisted on excusing her three children with Prince William from the “blooding” practice, reported The Daily Mail. The ritual involves smearing the faces of young royals with the blood of their first shooting kill, which is usually either a stag or a fox. Middleton was adamant that Prince George, 11, Prince Louis, 9, and Princess Charlotte, 6, all avoid the tradition. “Charles’s daughter-in-law, Catherine, Princess of Wales, has put her foot down and insisted there will be no blooding for her children,’” an excerpt of the book reads. King Charles III and his sons William and Harry all went through the rite as children. In his 2023 book Gilded Youth: An Intimate History of Growing Up in the Royal Family, Quinn wrote that William struggled with the royal family’s pastimes as they became more unpopular with the public. “William loves shooting—a love he shares with his father—but he is also conscious that the tide is now moving against what many people now refer to as blood sports,” Quinn said.

Any parent who has ever felt inadequate when comparing themselves to Kate Middleton (those socks, that hair) can take comfort, perhaps, in the fact that her kids’ art projects are refreshingly unimpressive. Kate and William posted three examples of their children’s recent scribblings on their official Instagram account to publicize Kate’s ongoing advocacy for early childhood care, along with one of Kate’s pictures, a pencil sketch of her eldest son. In a message accompanying the post they wrote: “Drawing portraits with children can provide a moment of connection as you spend time looking at and focusing on one another, as well as being creative and – most importantly – having lots of fun together!” The post specified the pictures were by “Prince Louis, Princess Charlotte, Prince George and The Princess of Wales.” The kids could get some pointers from their grandfather, as King Charles is an enthusiastic landscape watercolorist whose works sell for around £20,000 ($23,000).