Cross-party MPs call for end to bearskin caps
Ministers have been urged by a cross-party group of parliamentarians to end the use of real bearskin pelts for the hats worn by guards at Buckingham Palace, reports BritPanorama.
In a letter to Defence Minister Luke Pollard, 18 MPs and one peer have called for bearskin caps to be replaced with faux fur to “meet today’s ethical standards.”
The politicians, representing Labour, the Lib Dems, and the Green Party, asserted that the Government’s reliance on Canadian bearskin pelts is “impossible to justify.”
The letter stated: “Both Parliament and the British public have consistently rejected the cruelty associated with the fur trade.” It also highlighted Pollard’s previous public opposition to the use of fur, urging for leadership and modernization in line with current ethical values.
The MPs stressed that the Ministry of Defence should suspend any further orders for real bearskin pending a suitable faux-fur replacement, stating, “Most urgently, while this process continues, bears are still being shot with crossbows and killed, their cubs orphaned, and their pelts used to produce new caps.”
Introduced into the British Army after the battle of Waterloo in 1815, bearskin caps are worn by the King’s Guard, who protect Buckingham Palace and St James’ Palace in London. Recent data shows orders for these caps have increased more than fourfold since the Labour party came to power, rising from 22 caps in 2024 to 96 in 2025.
The Government has expressed support for replacing bearskin caps with a faux fur alternative and indicated a willingness to collaborate with animal rights group Peta, which has campaigned to replace the caps in recent years. The previous Conservative government had considered synthetic alternatives but determined that no material had met the standards of real fur.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson affirmed, “The MoD backs replacing bearskin caps with a faux fur alternative and we have set five tests any alternative must pass.”
The ongoing dialogue about these hats reflects wider societal debates on animal welfare and ethical marketing practices, suggesting a shift in public sentiment towards more humane standards in military traditions.
