Princess Diana "Hated" Royal Family's "Barbaric" Hunting Tradition, But Had "Ritual Blood Smeared on Her Face" to Please King Charles

A former royal butler recounted the gruesome details of Diana's "first stalking party" in a new book.

Prince Charles and Princess Diana wear sweaters and pose in the countryside
(Image credit: Getty Images/Anwar Hussein/WireImage)

Princess Diana's marriage to King Charles was allegedly rather turbulent. According to a former royal butler who worked with the pair, Princess Diana put a ton of effort into making her marriage work. In fact, the former Princess of Wales reportedly went so far as to embrace a gruesome Royal Family tradition, which Princess Kate has already forbidden her children from taking part in.

In the new book, The Royal Insider: My Life with The Queen, The King, and Princess Diana—which is being serialized by the Daily Mail—former royal butler Paul Burrell explained, "[Diana] disliked country pursuits: horses, shooting, mud, and particularly hunting, which she thought was barbaric. But she tried so hard to please her husband."

Elaborating on Diana's dislike of hunting, Burrell wrote, "I remember her returning from her first stalking party at Balmoral. She hated every moment of it: watching the deer's belly being slit with the entrails coming out and the ritual blood smeared on her face."

Princess Diana wears a red coat and matching hat and King Charles wears a gray suit

"Diana disliked country pursuits: horses, shooting, mud, and particularly hunting."

(Image credit: Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)

However, the reason Princess Diana allegedly agreed to take part in the horrifying act was simple, according to Burrell: "She did it for Charles."

The former royal butler alleged that Diana made many personal revelations to him during his tenure. According to Burrell, Diana told him, "[Charles] never wanted a lover. He wanted a mother." Despite any misgivings the princess might have had about her husband, "she always loved Charles," Burrell claimed.

Princess Diana wearing a pink sweater and Prince Charles posing on a bench in Balmoral, Scotland

"She did it for Charles."

(Image credit: Getty Images)

According to Burrell, "Diana once told me that Charles had told her in the middle of one of their epic arguments: 'I never loved you. I only married you to have children.'" Sadly, the issues inherent in Diana and Charles's marriage escalated further, and the pair announced their separation in 1992. They would finalize their divorce in 1996, one year before Diana's death.

Amy Mackelden
Weekend Editor

Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.