The bearskin hats worn by soldiers outside Buckingham Palace have cost the taxpayer more than £1million in a decade, Ministry of Defence figures reveal.
Taxpayers are now forking out over £2,000 for each cap, which are made from real pelts from Canadian brown bears. Animal rights campaigners from Peta say it is not only cruel but also financially irresponsible to keep using the skins.
Elisa Allen, of the organisation, called on the MoD to “stop wasting taxpayer pounds on caps made from slaughtered wildlife, and switch to faux fur today”.
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She added: “The government must heed the public’s wishes and stop propping up Canada’s cruel bear-hunting industry when it could be getting beautiful faux fur for free.”
The MoD said: “We are open to exploring faux fur alternatives if they pass the necessary requirements.”
But it warned new products would have to pass stringent “safety and durability” tests, adding that “no alternative has met all those criteria to date”.
(Image: PA)
The King’s Guard don the tall caps at ceremonial events such as Trooping the Colour. But their cost has soared from £1,560 each in 2022 to £2,040 in 2023 – more than a 30% increase.
A total of 24 new caps were bought in 2023 and 13 in 2022. Switching to fake fur would be far cheaper but traditionalists say the pelts last far longer and are better quality.
It will be up to MoD chiefs to decide whether to make a change rather than King Charles. Queen Camilla said she was swapping to faux fur earlier this year, writing in a letter that she would “not procure any new fur garments”.
Bearskin caps were introduced by the British Army following the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. They were designed to intimidate combat enemies by making soldiers appear taller.
Today, five of the Army’s foot guard regiments still wear the headgear.
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