Prince Harry's Face Was Pressed Into Wound of a Stag He Killed in Ritual

Prince Harry's Balmoral hunting guide pressed his face into the belly wound of a stag he shot during a blooding ritual, according to his book Spare.

The Duke of Sussex described how he went hunting in Balmoral with a guide, Sandy, who was "proper old school" and watched him shoot his first deer.

Afterwards, the Scotsman "bled it from the neck and slit open the belly" before motioning for him to kneel by the animal and pressing his face into the wound.

Harry wrote that "I felt swelling pride" and "I'd been good to that stag" after killing it with a single shot so it felt no pain.

The royal passion for hunting has been a contentious issue in the past, with animal rights advocates viewing the practice as cruel, while some have argued it is a part of rural life.

Spare reads: "Sandy snapped at me: 'Closer!' Close enough to smell Sandy's armpits. He placed a hand gently on my neck, and now I thought he was going to hug me, congratulate me. 'Atta boy.' Instead he pushed my head inside the carcass.

"I tried to pull away, but Sandy pushed me deeper. I was shocked by his insane strength. And by the infernal smell.

"My breakfast jumped up from my stomach. 'Oh please oh please do not let me vomit inside a stag carcass.' After a minute I couldn't smell anything, because I couldn't breathe. My nose and mouth were full of blood, guts, and a deep, upsetting warmth.

"Well, I thought, so this is death. The ultimate blooding. Not what I'd imagined. I went limp. Bye, all. Sandy pulled me out. I felled my lungs with fresh morning air. I started to wipe my face, which was dripping, but Sandy grabbed my hand."

Sandy told Harry: "Nae, lad, nae. Let it dry, lad! Let it dry."

They then gutted the deer, leaving the entrails behind for the hawks and buzzards while horses were sent for the carcass itself.

Harry wrote: "As my face dried, as my stomach settled, I felt swelling pride. I'd been good to that stag, as I'd been taught. One shot, clean through the heart. Besides being painless, the instant kill had preserved the meat.

"Had I merely wounded him, or let him get a glimpse of us, his heart would've raced, his blood would've filled with adrenaline, his steaks and fillets would've been inedible. The blood on my face contained no adrenaline, a credit to my marksmanship.

"I'd also been good to Nature. Managing their numbers meant saving the deer population as a whole, ensuring they'd have enough food for winter.

"Finally, I'd been good to the community. A big stag in the larder meant plenty of good meat for those living around Balmoral."