A royal author has hinted that Prince George might be introduced to a “gruesome” royal tradition during his visit to Balmoral estate this month.

In Woman magazine, Duncan Larcombe, suggested that the oldest child of Prince William and Princess Kate could join his father in a stag hunt, a long-standing activity among royals.

The 11-year-old prince is reportedly poised to participate in the hunt, but Larcombe also alluded to a possible encounter with an ancient “ritual” tied to the hunting practice.

He said: “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.

“It was reported that he will join his father on a stag-hunting shoot while they visit the Balmoral estate this month. Traditionally, the blood of a hunter’s first kill is spread on their face, a ritual that goes back centuries.”

Larcombe added: “Years ago, Kate joined the royals on a shoot, but it’s unclear whether George will be expected to follow suit.”

This wouldn’t mark the first instance of such a custom being linked to the Royal Family. In Prince Harry’s memoir, ‘Spare’, the Duke of Sussex described how his head was once shoved inside a deer carcass.

The incident happened after he shot a deer on the Balmoral estate, but he also mentioned killing a rabbit.

His nanny, Tiggy Legge-Bourke, then “smeared” a “dollop” of the rabbit’s blood “tenderly across his forehand, down his cheeks and nose”.

Hunting is deeply rooted in Royal Family traditions, with the late Queen Elizabeth herself being fond of deer stalking. She accompanied Prince Philip on tiger hunts in India back in the 1960s.

Moreover, a photograph from 2004 surfaced showing Prince Harry with a gun beside a lifeless water buffalo. Reports also surfaced of Princes William and Harry engaging in wild boar and stag hunting in Spain in 2014.

In a 2002 article by The Mail on Sunday, it was revealed that King Charles had attempted to persuade Tony Blair not to outlaw fox hunting, describing it as “natural – in that it relies entirely on man’s ancient and, indeed, romantic relationship with dogs and horses.”

The royals are known to partake in traditional shoots, such as the pheasant shoot at Sandringham during Christmas and grouse shooting at Corgarff.

It has also been reported that since 2018, Prince William and Kate have taken Prince George shooting.