Bearskin caps for Buckingham Palace guards soar over £2,000, PETA demands fur ban

The bearskin caps worn by soldiers outside Buckingham Palace now cost over £2,000 each, according to data from the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

The price of these ceremonial caps, made from black bear fur, surged by 30% in a single year, as shown in figures disclosed in response to a Freedom of Information request by animal welfare advocates.

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) oppose the use of real fur in principle, but they also argue it is now a financial concern, with £1 million spent on fur caps in recent years.

The MoD said: “We are open to exploring faux fur alternatives if they pass the necessary requirements."

However, a ministry spokesperson noted that a synthetic version would need to meet "safety and durability considerations" and stated that "no alternative has met all those criteria to date."

The significant price hike was attributed by the MoD to a change in the "contractual arrangements" for the caps, all of which are made from the fur of bears hunted in Canada.

The cost of the King's Guard caps rose from £1,560 each in 2022 to £2,040 in 2023.

Elisa Allen, from Peta, urged the MoD to "stop wasting taxpayer pounds on caps made from slaughtered wildlife, and switch to faux fur today."

These tall, distinctive caps are worn during ceremonial occasions such as Trooping the Colour. Figures from the MoD show that 24 new caps were purchased in 2023, and 13 in 2022. Over the past decade, spending on replacement caps has exceeded £1 million.

Supporters of real fur caps argue that they are durable and retain their appearance for major military events.

Animal welfare advocates have argued that using real fur is cruel and unnecessary, claiming that one bear is needed to create each bearskin cap.

The decision to use real fur rests with the MoD rather than the royal family, but as previously reported by the BBC, Queen Camilla switched to buying only faux fur garments this year, stating in a letter that she would "not procure any new fur garments."