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Oh deer! Prince’s love may have the right stuff

Posted: Tuesday, October 16, 2007 11:29 AM
Filed Under:

I don’t know what kind of sweet nothings Prince William whispers into his girlfriend Kate Middleton’s ear.

But, inspired by this weekend’s British tabloids, let me take a guess at romancing royal style: "Darling – I want you to come and stay with Pa – win him and Camilla over - it’s time for them to know we are serious and in love - that you will be my queen one day.

"So what say you come over and shoot Bambi?"

Beats the usual slushy hearts and flowers stuff, right?

The Sunday papers here were positively gushing at photos of the comely Kate in her camouflage jacket stalking deer on the queen’s Scottish estates.

The romance is back on for sure, they screamed. A wedding can’t be far away. Look, here she is trying to impress her future Pa-in-law Prince Charles by shooting Santa’s little helpers (OK – so they weren’t reindeer, but they’re related).

VIDEO: Will Prince William get engaged?

Was that the distant glimmer of an engagement ring? Nope. It was a telescopic sight.

I couldn’t find anything on this in The Rules, but Kate sure seems to know how to win her way into her future in-laws hearts.

Noble hobby…
Back in the U.S.A. hunting with rifles is nothing unusual.

Over here it’s more usually the sport of kings, toffs, city bankers– and poachers.

Movie-goers will remember the deer-hunting scenes in the Oscar-winning movie "The Queen," where her Majesty gets all torn up about a noble beast that has literally lost its antlered head after falling to the hunter’s knife.

Get over it, Ma’am – we all know that killing the blighters has been one of the royals’ favorite hobbies through the ages.

The good news is that this particular bloody past-time is not as socially divisive here as fox hunting – once pithily described by Oscar Wilde as the "uneatable pursued by the unspeakable" – and it doesn’t lead to demonstrations in the streets.

But it wasn’t quite what we common folk were expecting from a modern, fashionable, girl-about-town and perhaps our future "Queen Kate."  But it’s a sign – apparently, she’s made of the right stuff to be a royal.

No doubt the lady enjoyed the change. These days – thanks to the paparazzi – Kate’s usually the one being hunted.

The deer may have escaped her rifle sights at the weekend. But the photographer and the newspapers are having a field day.

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To Daniel Schlafer:

Prince William is 2rd in line to the British Throne since he is the oldest son of the heir apparent, the Prince of Wales.  Prince Harry is 3rd in line since he is the younger brother and youngest son.
Sharon Hughes,
  Why are the animals that you do eat any less "innocent" than the deer?Why are the animals who provided body parts to your leather,or bones to your gelatin desert,or gave up their lives to develop the medicines that have preserved your life or the lives of your loved ones less innocent?
  Or is it just that you feel a moral obligation to pick and choose what lives are acceptable to be taken
and crave the power to control the lives of those with whom you have decided to disagree.
To Mrs. Ridley
 you have GOT to be kidding us all.
    What country set itself out as the nation that the sun never sets on? What country told millions of African nationals, and indians, and people all over the wolrd, "You have joined the English Empire", catch that, ENGLISH EMPIRE! "your" kings and queens have set the world on fire with conquest and domination well before America started in that venture.
So, I say to you with much love and affection, STUFF THE ROYALS!
There's room for all of Gods animals....right there next to the mashed potatoes....
Good Gosh People, She's just a girl trying to enjoy the same sport as her boyfriend. It's good to have things in common. Ask my wife of 30 years. I hunt and she and I cook and enjoy the venison and fish I bring home (sans antibiotics). We enjoy the opportunity to be part of nature. Kate just enjoy the opportunity and be a good sportswoman. The majority of this world is with you.
Ms. Ridley,

You are as ignorant and as ridiculous as people going out there to hunt for "SPORT." I do not mind if it is to put food on the table, but for sport? And you should really mind your ignorant comments about us "Yanks," because we are the first ones there to save your sorry ass, when England, Canada or any other part of the world needs help. You should read-up on history; WWI, WWII. Ask anyone with more intelligence then you about us Yanks, and how we saved the Royals back then! And as for "Your Royals," you can KEEP THEM. We have real heroes like our men and women in uniform!!
WHO CARES!!!!!  Eat what you want, enjoy the sports you want....life is too short, worry about your own, if they love each other and want to share in their likes, yipppeee...more power to them.  I think they are being true to themselves and are hopefully putting an end to the stuffy persona that goes with their world.  
Kate, stay away from the sport of hunting "just for sport".  You tend to begin to look like the animals you associate with.  Take a good look at the horse riding woman Camilla
Way to go Kate!  Every girl should have multiple talents.  FYI--I do not hunt, because I have no taste for deer/elk (too gamey).  However, many of my girlfriends and their husbands do. There is nothing wrong with putting food on the table, especially if you are trying to make ends meet.  I am not sure, but I doubt if the "Royals" waste the meat of any animal they shoot.  I wouldn't be surprised if the meat goes to the kitchen (by the way one less thing for the British taxpayers to provide), or a soup kitchen for that matter.  Good luck!!
Is this article about Kate Middleton, or about Bambi?  Good hell, everyone will have their opinion, it doesn't mean that you have to state it on every story.  If she chooses to hunt, so be it.  For those of you who don't like hunting-DON'T!  Others of us happen to enjoy the outdoors, and hunting.  Responsibly of course.  There is something to be said for tracking your prey, and then killing, cleaning and cooking it yourself.  It is what most people did before Walmart showed up--back off.  Get in your hybrib car, run down to your local supermarket, pick up you pre-cooked fried chicken dinner and keep bitching about those of us who are just inhumane enough to eat Bambi for dinner.  By the way, if you want to skip the fried chicken tonight, elk heart is absolutely delicious!
Honey bunch: you seem to forget that the battle of Briton was fought looong before you yanks entered the picture, thanks to japan, dragged your heels for quite some time if history tells me. the Canadians were in the trenches before as a true blue should be. as for bambi, he is a cartoon, the royals have always hunted on their own lands, they will continue to do so if Kate is smart she'll learn the family ways, think Diana ever leveled a rifle she may still be alive today.i love wild game.
Sharon in Ann Arbor, are you aware that Prince Charles first met Diana at a soiree following a hunting party in 1977? She even went on a hunting trip in 1979 at the invitation of the queen. So I’m not sure where you get your idea about her spinning in her grave. She did the same thing at that age.

That aside, invoking an adulteress to support your view as moral is probably not the strongest choice.
Killing for sport (fun) is a barbaric activity. If the money that was spent on the sport of killing was spent on food, there wouldn't be a hungry person in this country!  And my dear Miss Tonya in Fort Benton, Montana, your comment that 'hunters show the deer respect', is stupidity at it's best! Try to show
less 'respect' and let the deer live.
As for the royal family, they have too much time on their hands, they all need to get real jobs and stop living off the citizens!  
WOW!!! Silver Spoon Twit and girlfriend kill animal for fun! This is so great! Thanks media people for bringing us this meaningless banal crap, its really important that we hear about this on a daily basis. The Twits should get real jobs, and so should whoever makes a living from peddling this junk.
Good grief, does everyone have to make such an issue of hunting?  I hunt deer and have for years.  It keeps food on the table all winter. To all vegans, if we don't hunt the deer, the over grazing will take all the grass and leaves and you won't have anything to chew on.
Right on Kate, hunt to your hearts content, and if you do not eat it, give it away, I am sure some poor person would love to have the meat.
Anyone who thinks that Kate has to kill a deer or a partridge in a pear tree for her meals is not hunting with a loaded gun!! The Windors probably do eat what they kill...or at the very least hand it out to the servants to take home to their broods...BUT, PLEASE...STOP  COMPARING THEIR SPORT OF KILLING TO THOSE THAT HAVE TO HUNT TO FEED THEMSELVES. And, do any of you remember what happened when Cheney took his friends hunting?  All Cheney can do is tell Bush how to conduct an illegal war.  
Sharon, please. Yes, this young woman hunted and killed a deer for sport as we have done since our canine's evolved, just as we might kill a harmless spider. Albeit a deer looks cuter, and is not in our bathroom, creatures die all the time by us. If HRH Prince William were out shooting peasants for fun, I would be worried, but pheasants is a different matter. As much as we let our emotions tell us otherwise, the only thing which seperates them from any other non-human living thing (in all seriousness, bacteria and weeds included) is that they are cuter.
Where is Michael Bentine when you need him?
He was royalty in my book.  I liiked his line
"You've been abusing the Queen's English for over 200 years , without paying royalties".  Not sure if it was his line, but I associate with him.
Dressing up in camouflauge and flailing around with a gun to impress the in-laws (royal or otherwise) is just plain sad. Talk about lowering your standards for a man!!Human carnivours should choose the most humane methods of killing...that should be the moral imperative of being a HUMAN being. Sorry, an inexperienced gun handler attempting to kill any creature for FUN is wrong no matter how you try to frame it.I hope that this is a learning experience that results in a more compassionate Kate.
Please try to get your facts straight..1) William is in the direct line to be King, unless he dies he will become the King. His Grandmother is Queen, his father is her successor, and he is his father's successor; 2) Kate is not American, she is English.  Personally I agree with the anti-hunting statements here.  In the rare occasion that someone NEEDS to hunt for food, then I support it.  Hunting and killing defenseless animals for sport is indefensible, somehow I feel fairly confident in saying that I don't believe Ms. Middleton is hunting to put food on her family's table.
To the proud vegetarian in Phoenix who commented: There is nothing to be proud of systematically hunting down an animal (define systematic -- if you knew anything about hunting you would know it is NOT systematic) for human entertainment (I wonder how your broccoli and carrots feel about the knife you put to their throats -- don't you know that vegetables have feelings too?!). I hope that for every hunter who sets their scope on a deer, there is another deer waiting in the shadows to kick that hunter to death.  (Oh, aren't you cute. Ever seen a deer starve to death in the winter?  Ever see coyotes, cougars or wolves tear into a deer, elk, pet dog, or livestock?  It is not pretty.  I'd take a bullet any day to any of the other ways deer die in the wild.) It's about time humans had natural predators, so that they know what it's like to be the hunted. (Humans have always had natural predators. That's why I carry my .38 in the wilderness. Get off your high horse. If you wear shoes, clothes, drink water, or use electricity, animal lives are being taken to provide you the basic comforts of life.  It's called the food chain, and like it or not you are in it if you are still alive. By the way, I read once that the British royals have always donated any animals they kill to food banks or shelters.)  
We will "see" the marriage when the gate appears for the prince to open.  sheep or horse.  Is the pope seeking his crown by stepping onto your side of the board.  Checkmate,  No easy way in, Sir. Please let me see your "justification" for attaching yourself to the least of the princes.  Mal_chi 3:13
"The deer may have escaped her rifle sights at the weekend. But the photographer and the newspapers are having a field day." Sharon, the point is she went hunting. She did NOT(according to this article shoot a deer). "Fer" crying out loud, read the article before condemning someone with your prejudices. I am not a hunter, but have not problem with those that choose to hunt.

It is amazing, even in a discussion on a subject as benign as Britain’s Royal Family people cannot pass on an opportunity to attack America. Please Janet seeks some professional help before that envy eats you up inside.
Great article! Love the tone. Deer hunting, fox hunting, etc. are uncivilized "sports" for VERY uncivilized people. Oh, by the way, it's not a sport when one "player"  cannot play on an equal level field with the other "player". An animal cannot defend itself when there is a gun pointed at it. No competition, therefore, not a sport.
As another female hunter, let me throw in my two cents worth. First of all, to hunt or not to hunt is a personal choice. One I highly prize. I must admit I mainly hunt for food. However, there is something thrilling about the stalking of my prey, and the decision to play yet another role in the grand cirle of life. To test my skills, to know that I can do what must be done, all these things go through my consciousness when I am making the decision to pull the trigger or not. I also think that one must remember that before we brought in dometsticated beef, our forefathers ate a great deal of venison. Many of us still do. Delicious and nutritious. As for hunting purely for sport, I know many hunters who do. For the most part, they are not cold blooded hearted killers. They have certain standards they feel must be met before they pull the trigger, from age of the prey to size to sex, even the difficulty of the shot. Of these hunters, they also freely dontate the meat from their kills to the less fortunate, often paying for professional packers to process the meat in a sanitary manner. Some sell the meat to resturants. I know some people who go hunting each year purely for he sport of it, the whole time never intending to fire a shot. Yes they acquire the neccessary legal permits, dress the part, and carry a weapon, but to them it is about a time of them against nature, to feel the primitiveness, the rawness of it all. The time to band together with their peers and dream of days gone by. What ever dear Kate's motives were for participating in the hunt, I say, My hats off to you girl! Regardless of your reasons, I hope that it was all to you that you had hoped, and I wish you many more happy times.    
if all you americans and canadians are so in love with OUR royal family, you're welcome to have them.
To the woman from Canada that said OUR royal family.  Since when is Canada a province or territory of England? Do they rule over Canada?  I think not.  
For those of you who feel hunting deer is unnatural,I suggest a trip to your dentist.Put your mouth where your opinions are,have all the eye teeth in your mouth,you know,the ones for eating meat,pulled.That'll show us you're serious.
Yes, the hunting of animals is an appointed pleasure, even for just sport.  But woman are not.  I have handled guns for the keeping of a farm clear of varments and strays, my husband Richard have taken turkeys and deer and squirrel from our 200 acres in Missouri, I have never hunted.  I raised chickens(for bugs), goats(for pets), cats(for mice), horses (for riding).  I know caretaking and animal husbandry as well as resturant service and graphic design (marketing). my serious studies are in microbiology.
I am afraid Poor Wills, you are in the fish bowl looking out and your poor girlfriend, possibly future wife are both going to be subject to public scrutany.  The media will never let you go, but I do not believe hunting fox, deer or any animals is going to bring up your image in the public's eye.  How about sticking to sports that don't kill any animals and perhaps you'll get a break from PETA and the rest of the public.
England has a very bloody history. They took over Scotland and fought in Ireland, France ,Germany and Wales. Us Yanks are the product of a lot of different ethnic back grounds from around the world. We, like England want to rule ourselves and it seems that other Countries really dislike that about us. But hey its a big world and we all share it so I say that makes us one big family. So yes i'm interested in what goes on in England. What happens on this planet affects everyone. As for hunting you stalk the meat aisle the only differnce is the meat is already to go into your fridge. Lighten up there is no Bambi.
Janet:  was there a special on "quotation marks" (who were you quoting) and exclamation points!!!!?  Is this an example of "Royal" punctuation????
Daniel S who doesn't think William is in line for the throne, excuse me but I believe once "Lillibet"-current Quees. dies, and Chuck finally gets his chance, which will be about 10 years at this rate, William is next in line.  Don't post if you don't know.  Cheapens yourself
I bet the paparazzi kept their distance this time.... Oops, that wasn't Bambi that was a photographer...
Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison; And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die. And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it." Genesis 27:1-5
For the comment about will Prince William ever be king. Absolutely, I would hope that in the name of ecency when Prince Cahrles iss awarded the title that he turns it over to his eldest son who has proven himself the better man many times over. Kate seems like a lovely young woman and would be a credit to the Royals nuch as William and Harry have been.
Hey Veggie from Phoenix....

It is people like you that hire the illegals to hunt the broccoli and slaughter carrots, mainly because of your ignorance.  Kate would be a welcome addition to the hunting family, hopefully you will be in front of her when it happens.
Those of you who are defending subsistence hunting are missing the point. Kate wasn't hunting to put food on her table. She's doing it to impress her snooty future father-in-law! Too bad she couldn't have emulated our beloved VP and shot Prince Willy right in his skinny royal butt!
To Rosemary Anderson, Atascadero,CA...hunting is not at choice...just like driving is not a right....it is a privilege.  If not respected by following the rules...you loose the privilege.  I wish others would remember that.
hey, ridley, you don`t live in england, so they are as much as our family as they are yours. p.s. GO KATE future queen. (i hope she will show some respect for us americans ) (unlike ms.ridley did) WE ARENT HOT BLOODED!!! ,RIDLEY
First of all, I am a female who has hunted for sustenance and I live in a rural area where hunting is a sport and a way of feeding oneself through the winter.  I condone hunting as long as it is done properly.  

You can't really call what Kate and Will's little excursion real hunting, for goodness sake, it's a park!  It's a piece of woods owned by the Royal family in which the deer population has been maintained, only Royals can go and hunt there.  It's like going to some of those deer ranches in the US where you go behind a mobile feeder and shoot the one you want.  That's not hunting.  I doubt what Kate and Will did constitutes real hunting.

I'd like to see Kate freeze her behind off at dawn in a deer seat and wait patiently for the right animal, THEN I MIGHT be impressed.  
What difference does it make what Kate, William or any of the Royal family does to those in the US. Let them live their lives the way the Royal family has for years. Those in the US do the samething and go hunting for a trophy. If England is anything like the US the deer are way over populated there just as they are here. As for Princess Di rolling over in here grave for this I'm sure is way off. I'm sure she is very happy that William found someone who enjoys to do the things he does and is willing to go out on a limb and try new things. Give them a break already those of us in the US need to worry about ourselves instead of worrying about what the Royal family is doing that is so bad (NOT)
Trophy hunting and hunting for meat are not exclusive of each other. As long as the meat is eaten and not wasted who cares. Finding thse fine young people interesting is likewise no crime. Lumping a group of people in one group just because they come from one country or another is idiocy. Until people can learn to agree to disagree in peace, we will continue to shoot each other and that is the real shame of it all.
Don't worry.  We are being hunted in Iraq. Our young people are having their faces blown off, arms blown off, legs blown off.  Touche.  Maybe we can send her to Iraq so she can have even more excitment and fun along with her future husband.  The deer are full of brain eating parasites. So enjoy.


Ms. Janet C. Ridley,

You must be very young indeed to write such a commentary and completely uninformed as to world history. The US did not "get rid" of King George III, we simply decided to become an independent nation, controlling our own fate.  After the ruckus, including the War of 1812, we became loyal defenders of our British cousins--yes, they are literally our cousins. Please remember that our attitudes are those originally held by the Anglo, Saxon, and Norman invaders, who I believe, are probably your ancestors as well.  It is the same attitude that contributed to the sun never setting on Victoria's British Empire. Perhaps we personify the worst of our British legacy, but it is a British legacy!

As to being entertained by "Royal" gossip, I do believe that you too must have read the article in order to comment upon it.

YOU GO GIRL!!!

Kate is beautiful and she hunts too! Where can I find a woman like that!!

For all you ladies that hunt, my applause. For the jerk that wrote this article he has just proven he can't do anything else other than be a reporter and watch from the sidelines as the rest of us participate in life... Go Kate!
How did we get off the topic, vegetarians complaining about deer hunting, Canadians complaining about Yankees, of which I am a proud one, this is about love and a girl trying to impress his parents, whats so wrong about that. By-the-way there was nothing said about "the Royals" hunting for sport, which I am against. Janet from Canada needs to learn about "class and respect" if it wasn't for the good ole USA many counrties in this world of ours would be much worse off.
Good shot, Bill from MA and Carla from Oregon.
I agree with you sharon and i'm a Brit from the UK.  It's funny how I aint heard about katie dearey going hunting.  Who gives a toss.  Seems like the Americans ARE more into the royal than we are here in the UK.  PW, should wait a while before he marries.  Live in sin for a while like his daddy.  Their lives would be horrible if they were to marry young.  After all the inquest in his mother's death has only got got off the ground.  He needs someone to comfort him right now and who better than kate.  


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