Prince William Grows A Beard, Likes To Hunt
Princes William and Harry of Wales ventured out this weekend for a little pheasant hunting excursion and brought along some ladies to join in on the “fun”. While I am not a big fan of hunting, I can understand how the “sport” is one that is enjoyed by many folks, the Royal family included. Wills and Harry brought along Kate Middleton and a new mystery chick (respectively) on their hunting trip … which was also Wills’s first opportunity to show off his new facial hair:
If racing is the sport of kings, then it looks as if shooting is rapidly becoming the sport of the future king’s girlfriend. Kate Middleton deployed her pheasant-blasting skills at the weekend alongside a bearded Prince William at Sandringham. Kate, dressed in a dark jacket, scarf and warm hat, beamed broadly as her Royal boyfriend concentrated on taking aim at their feathered quarry above. The prince is said to have stopped shaving while on a recent anti-drug smuggling exercise with the Special Boat Service in the Caribbean. His father, the Prince of Wales, followed the same naval tradition while serving in Alaska in 1975, as did William’s grandfather Prince Philip during his own wartime service aboard HMS Valiant. Prince Andrew has also experimented with a full set of facial hair. If William is hoping to retain the hirsute look, however, he will be disappointed. Next year he joins the RAF, where beards are banned. The prince and Kate, both 26, were staying with friends at Wood Farm on the Queen’s 20,000-acre Norfolk estate. Also among the group was William’s brother Harry, accompanied by his girlfriend, Chelsy Davy, and her best friend Olivia Perry. Chelsy, 23, opted out of the shooting, not because she objects to blood sports but because it was raining and she didn’t want to get wet.
This was the first time Kate and William had been photographed together since September, when they attended a friend’s wedding in Austria. Kate, who has been dubbed “Waity Katie” because she is apparently happy to hang on until he proposes, is said to have had a ‘minor wobble’ about their relationship when William decided to commit the next seven years to the RAF. But they looked relaxed and happy as they tramped around the Royal estate in the rain, accompanied by Prince Harry, who was with a mystery blonde female friend. Whether Kate approves of her boyfriend’s newly acquired beard is something Royal watchers will have to wait to find out. Yesterday, one onlooker said: “It was a real shock to see William with a beard. It looked as if he had not shaved for a couple of weeks at least. Whether Kate approves is another matter entirely. But she was laughing and joking during the shoot so maybe she does like it.” Kate’s obvious enthusiasm for blood sports, however, infuriated animal rights campaigners. Andrew Tyler, director of the Animal Aid charity, said: “It’s depressing that Kate should be drawn into the Royal habit of killing for fun. There is no tradition of shooting in her family, yet she is now senselessly taking the lives of birds. It seems that you cannot enter the Royal Family’s inner circle without spilling blood for pleasure.” This is not the first time Ms Middleton has been dragged into a row about hunting. Last year, she was bitterly criticised by the League Against Cruel Sports after she joined a deer-shooting party on the Queen’s Scottish estate at Balmoral. Wearing camouflage gear, she was seen being coached by two ghillies on how to use a bolt-action rifle fitted with telescopic sights and silencer - a weapon capable of killing an animal at a mile. William and Harry regularly enjoy a weekend break at Sandringham with friends before Christmas. They always stay at Wood Farm, a secluded retreat on the 20,000-acre estate. William and Harry are expected to return to Sandringham later this month for the Royal Family’s traditional Christmas break. Harry missed the festivities last year because he was serving with the Army in Afghanistan.
Despite the fact that I’m not at all too keen on shooting birds for sport, I hope at least that they ate the animals that they killed. In any event, the real draw for me is the mature look that Prince Wills is rockin’ with this new facial hair. I think it suits him very well. He is growing into a fine chap. Do y’all think he looks good with the beard … or not?
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Tags: Kate Middleton, Prince Henry 'Harry' Charles Albert David of Wales, Prince William Arthur Philip Louis of Wales
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December 15th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
I hope they are better aims than Dick Cheney !!
December 15th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
i think i am kinda diggin the facial hair on prince wills. but i’ve always been a fan, no matter what ;)
December 15th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
He is okay with a beard. It is all about Harry!! YUMMY!!!
December 15th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
“Prince William Grows A Beard, Likes to Hunt” - ahhh hahahahahahahahahaha!!!! Hilarious!
December 15th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
I don’t care about the beard… I find it horrible that they are hunting, such a cave man like attitude! Geez! Grow up!
December 15th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
oh dear lord… apparently i like princes with beards =)
December 15th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
He looks so distinguished, I think he’s making up for the thinning that’s going on top of his head.
December 15th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
Trent, the “mystery girl” with Harry is his girlfriend’s best friend Olivia Perry, which the article clearly states.
I know you’re really busy, but this isn’t the first time it seems like you put up pictures and articles without even reading them.
That’s something I expect from trashier sites like Perez, not from yours, which I enjoy much more.
December 15th, 2008 at 3:31 pm
@ Selina — the article states that Chelsy and Olivia went along on the trip but did NOT specify that it was Olivia in the photos. In fact, if you follow the source link to the original site, you’ll see that the captions under the photos state the girl in the pics is a “mystery” friend and does not claim it is Olivia … so neither did I. While I don’t always catch everything and I do make mistakes, I can assure you I read what I post … which is why I post it in the first place.
December 15th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
Selina
Trent is right I read the original article which claimed that Oliva was a mystery blonde & then it was changed over night. I think I was told before that alot of items are written by sub editors and posted and then they get updated by editors and re-posted.
Regardless of that fact although I do not like hunting it is really nice to see Prince William out with his Girlfriend. There have been rumors of them splitting for months so it is nice to put those to rest.!
December 15th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
Hunting is heck of a lot more humane than what goes on in a slaughter house…as long as their not just trophy hunting
December 15th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
I cant even comment on how hott (or unhott) his beard is because im too busy worrying about the poor defensive animal that hes shooting from of the sky. In this day and age, why is this necessary? There is a grocery store on every corner. This is so….barbaric. It says about his personality. IMO When I see pictures like this, it makes me want to hop off the Prince William and Harry band wagon.
December 15th, 2008 at 9:35 pm
good lord. hunting or not, he is the foxiest thing to cross my computer screen in a VERY long time.
December 16th, 2008 at 2:42 am
murderer -___-
December 16th, 2008 at 2:48 am
Not a fan of the beard or the hunting for that matter
December 16th, 2008 at 3:53 am
I’m english and I think they’re HIDEOUS!! Seriously, they’re flabby, pre-maturely balding and have the characters of a pheasant (post shooting). Eww, eww, eww.
Seriously. EWW.
December 16th, 2008 at 3:56 am
I think it is much nicer to eat battery hens and feed lot cows.. animals that have never run wild in their life.. animals that have never run wild or seen grass for that batter… is more civilised???
December 16th, 2008 at 5:56 am
The Prince looks more handsome than ever! It de-feminizes his rather “pretty” features he aquired from his mother. He looks like um…Ryan Gosling, a bit. I love it. At 26, he looks very very all grown up.
December 16th, 2008 at 5:57 am
hunting with a beard gets no sexier. and i’m damn proud of the women out there right beside the guys hunting as well. good for them all!
December 16th, 2008 at 6:44 am
I am sooo liking the facial hair!
how cute is Kate with her big hat, big smile, big gun?!
& I’d always rather have the hunted quail for dinner than meat from the grocery store.
Animals come with blood and guts, not under plastic & flourescent lights.
Its more barbaric to pretend that meat comes from little styrofoam trays.
At least if you go out and hunt or fish for yourself, you accept your carnivorous nature honestly.
December 16th, 2008 at 6:48 am
He’s so uninteresting! really… balding twit. Bring in Scott Caan’s nude pics! now thats something to feast on…
xo
Rants, Thoughts & Merde
http://rantsthoughtsmerde.blogspot.com/2008/12
December 16th, 2008 at 8:27 am
He looks a little bit like Chris Martin. Not bad at all. I wouldn’t like one on Harry, though.
December 16th, 2008 at 8:59 am
BOOOOOOOOOOO hunting. “Blood sports.” Dear god… It’s always so funny how those articles describe the silly “Royal Family.” Katie “beamed proudly” whilst wearing a “warm hat.” Hahaha.
December 16th, 2008 at 9:25 am
Great pictures of them. I think the beard looks nice on him. I’ve got no problem with hunting as long as someone’s going to eat what they shoot.
December 16th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
He already has a beard - I believe they’re engaged!
ba-dum-bump!
December 16th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
I enjoy the beard. Very much. Kings and such ought to have beards, no?
March 16th, 2009 at 8:01 pm
I’m not sure this will go through, but I came across your blog and wanted to let you know that I asked one of the estate workers at Balmoral when I went there if the royal family ate what they shot and he said every bit of it :)