LONDON — An animal rights group trying to get real fur from the bearskin hats worn by the King’s Guards at Buckingham Palace set its sights on Thursday at the expense of the ceremonial garb.
The price of the caps rose 30% in a year to more than 2,000 pounds ($2,600) each for the hats made of black bear fur, the Ministry of Defense said in response to a freedom of information request by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
“Stop wasting taxpayer money on caps made from slaughtered wild animals and switch to faux fur today,” the group said in a statement.
A manufacturer of luxury faux fur has offered to supply the military with free faux bear fur for 10 years, according to PETA.
The Army said it is open to exploring alternatives if they meet requirements for durability, water protection and appearance. But “no alternative has yet met all these criteria,” a ministry spokesperson said in a statement.
The distinctive tall black hats, worn by guards in bright red tunics, are seen by millions of people who attend the regular changing of the guard ceremony at the palace. They also appear at other royal events, including the annual Trooping the Color ceremony in honor of the monarch’s birthday in June.
The cost of the caps rose from 1,560 pounds ($2,035) each in 2022 to 2,040 pounds ($2,660) in 2023, the ministry said. More than 1 million pounds ($1.3 million) has been spent on it over the past decade.
The price rose because of a contract change for fur from bears killed during licensed hunts in Canada, the military said. Each cap requires one bear pelt, according to PETA.
PETA, which has been pushing for the ban on fur hats for more than two decades, said each cap requires one bearskin. The group alleged that the Department of Defense supports Canada’s “cruel” bear hunting industry.
The ministry denied this accusation and said that if it stopped buying the pelts, the number of bears killed would not decrease.
Parliament debated the issue in July 2022 after an online petition with more than 100,000 signatures called for the use of faux fur in the caps.
“This hunt involves the violent killing of bears, with many of the bears being shot multiple times,” said Martyn Day, then a member of parliament for the Scottish National Party. “It therefore seems undeniable that by continuing to purchase hats made from the fur of black bears, the Department of Defense is financing the suffering of bears in Canada by making the baiting and killing of those animals and the sale of their pelts a profitable activity for the community. hunters.”
Day said a poll at the time showed that 75% of the British population thought real bearskins were a poor use of taxpayers’ money and were in favor of replacing the hats.
He noted that the late Queen Elizabeth II had stopped buying fur for her wardrobe.
Earlier this year, Queen Camilla, wife of King Charles III, vowed not to buy fur products anymore.
