Why the Royals Are Skipping the Traditional Grouse Hunting at Balmoral 2019

Every year, after the royal family celebrates Christmas at Sandringham House and meets the Norfolk locals, they go to another one of Queen Elizabeth’s castles in Scotland. On December 26, they head to Balmoral Castle to shoot grouse, a type of bird. Meghan Markle, an animal rights activist, is reportedly not a fan of the longtime grouse-hunting tradition. But apparently, the whole family will be ditching that outing for a very good reason this year, and it actually has nothing to do with Meghan’s aversion to killing animals, so don’t try to blame her for making them change their schedules, mmmkay?

According to the Daily Mail, a Balmoral Estate source said it actually has to do with a massive beetle infestation, which was a result of a bad storm they had last winter. Because of the heather beetles being out with “particular force” this year, the grouse population is struggling. And for that reason, grouse-hunting season is officially over for the royal fam.

The source added:

“Though the Glorious Twelfth, the name for the official first day of grousing season, was Monday, it seems the Queen and her kin will shoot no grouse in the coming weeks…grouse hunting is cancelled at Balmoral this year due to a dwindling number of birds….Since grouses depend on the greenery from the moors to survive, an infestation has the potential to wipe out the population.”

Tim GrahamGetty Images

Reportedly, this news has been “a real blow” to the royal family’s summer plans, but IDK, something tells me the dwindling grouse population is taking it the hardest!