Bear Grylls recalls eating live ants with Prince George: ‘It was a privilege to give the future king his first ant’

Survivalist says royal is a ‘little hero’

Chelsea Ritschel
New York
Thursday 11 November 2021 02:48 EST
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Bear Grylls recalls eating live ants with Prince George

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Bear Grylls has described his experience eating live ants with Prince George, with the British adventurer revealing it was a “privilege” to eat the insects alongside the future king.

Grylls, 47, recalled his encounter with the now-eight-year-old royal, which took place in 2019 at the King’s Cup regatta on the Isle of Wight, during an appearance on Good Morning Britain.

While reflecting on the meeting, which occurred after the pair were introduced by the royal’s grandmother Carole Middleton, Grylls revealed that, during their conversation, they noticed a stream of ants - at which point he encouraged Prince George to eat one.

“And so we were chatting, and he was down here, and just as we were chatting a stream of ants went across his feet, and him and me looked at them, he looked at me with those amazed wide eyes, and I said: “Come on, we’ve got to eat one,’” the adventurer recalled in a clip of the interview published by The Mirror, adding that Prince George then ate the live insect.

Of the opportunity to snack on ants together, Grylls said: “It was a privilege to give the future king his first ant, and his eyes lit up as they do with anyone when they’re out in the wild and they face a few fears and they overcome them, so good for him. What a little hero.”

This is not the first time that Grylls has praised the eldest child of Kate Middleton and Prince William for eating an ant, as he previously mentioned the “great moment” during his victory speech after winning the regatta that year.

“And also Prince George, your first ant you ate today ... And that is a great moment. Well done, you,” the Running Wild with Bear Grylls star said at the time, according to People.

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