Bear Grylls calls Prince George 'a hero' after future king ate an ant

Bear Grylls recalled the priceless reaction Prince George gave when he got the chance to eat an ant during their encounter in 2019 at the King's Cup regatta.

The 47-year-old "Man vs. Wild" star recalled how the young royal's "eyes lit up" when he offered him his first ant to eat. He said they met after Kate Middleton's mother Carole approached him and asked if he could meet the toddler who is a huge fan of his.

When asked about feeding the prince an ant, he admitted that he "didn't really mean to." It was an impromptu moment that happened just between the two of them.

"We were doing something for Prince William's Kings Cup event. We were down and the royal family were there and it was the Duchess of Cambridge's mother who said "Will you come and say hello to George? He's a big fan of your Netflix interactive show," Grylls recalled during a guest appearance on Tuesday's episode of "Good Morning Britain."

"We were chatting and just as we were chatting a stream of ants went across his feet and we looked at them, he looked at me with those amazing wide eyes and I said 'Come on', and he said 'Really!'," he shared.

"We ate and it was a privilege to give the future king his first ant," Grylls fondly recalled adding that Prince George's "eyes lit up as they do with anyone when they're out in the wild and face a few fears and overcome them. Good for him, what a hero."

Grylls also opened up about Prince George's first ant-eating adventure in his latest memoir "Never Give Up." He revealed that Prince Wiliam and Kate Middleton's eldest child had that look of "trepidation and excitement" when he saw the ants. He said he got one ant for himself and grabbed another for the toddler to hold between his fingers. They then popped the insect into their mouths in a count of three.

"I don't think I will ever see wider eyes than Prince George's, nor a broader grin. It was a fun moment that I hope, when he is king one day and I am an old man, he might still remember. After all, who can ever forget eating their first ant?" he wrote.

The British adventurer has previously recommended eating ants for survival. When "Good Morning Britain" host Susanna Reid asked how they taste like, he said they are a "little zingy" but that is because of the formic acid in their stomach which is a good source of vitamin C. Meanwhile, co-host Martin Lewis applauded Prince George for having his first ant food at a young age.