Stephen Fry backs calls to end the use of real fur in the iconic bearskins worn by King’s Guard during ceremonial duties
- *WARNING – VIDEO CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES*
Stephen Fry has backed calls for an end to the use of real fur in the bearskin hats worn by the King’s Guard during ceremonial duties.
The actor said it was “cruel” to continue using the pelts and called for fake alternatives to be used instead.
Bearskin hats are an iconic feature of royal events, including the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace.
The king, an avid environmentalist, wears a bearskin along with other members of the royal family during parades such as Trooping the Colour.
Mr Fry said: ‘Tradition is never an excuse for cruelty. That is why I join the call for the Ministry of Defense to stop using fur from slaughtered animals and switch to humane faux fur for the caps of the King’s Guard.’
Stephen Fry said it was ‘cruel’ to continue using the pelts and called for fake alternatives to be used instead
The 66-year-old has narrated a video for animal rights group PETA, which uses footage of bears being killed by hunters in Canada.
Bearskin hats are an iconic feature of royal events. The photo shows members of the Coldstream Guards marching through the Mall in September 2022
The 66-year-old has narrated a video for animal rights group PETA, which uses footage of bears being killed by hunters in Canada.
The group claims to film hunters using bagels, cookies and oil to lure bears before shooting them with crossbows.
“Black bears are mercilessly killed by trophy hunters,” he said. ‘They can then be used to make the caps used by the Royal Guard: purely decorative headgear that serves no military purpose.
‘Bears that are shot do not always die immediately. They may flee and suffer a slow and painful death from infection or blood loss, only to be found hours later after the hunters follow a blood trail.”
At least one bear is needed to provide enough fur for each cap, says Mr Fry, who added last May’s coronation.
He claims that the Kingsguard’s demand for furs “stimulated” hunters.
Mr Fry said there was faux fur available that was just as effective as bear fur.
The Ministry of Defense said: ‘Bears are not hunted on behalf of the Ministry of Defense and the bear skins used are a product of legal and recognized hunting.
“To date and to the best of the ministry’s knowledge, an alternative has yet to meet the standards necessary to provide an effective replacement for the ceremonial bearskin caps.”
The group claims to film hunters using bagels, cookies and oil to lure bears before shooting them with crossbows
“Black bears are mercilessly killed by trophy hunters,” Fry said
The Ministry of Defense said: ‘Bears are not hunted on behalf of the Ministry of Defense and the bear pelts used are a product of legal and recognized hunting’
The military’s use of real bear skin has long been a controversy.
In 2022, Boris Johnson backed its continued use, telling voters that ‘man-made fur did not meet the required standards’, before insisting that ‘all these things are being monitored’.
Tourists visiting London flock to see the Guards in their traditional hats, worn since Napoleon’s defeat in 1815.
The ceremonial headdress can only be worn by foot soldiers in certain regiments, including the Grenadier Guards, the Coldstream Guards, the Scots Guards, the Irish Guards and the Welsh Guards.
The British Army’s Bearskin: A Napoleonic Prize with 200 Years of History
Bear skins, up to 20 inches high and weighing about two pounds, are worn by the Grenadier, Welsh, Irish, Scots and Coldstream Guards.
They are synonymous with the pageantry of events such as the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace and the Trooping the Color ceremony.
The material, made from the fur of the Canadian black bear, is warm and water-resistant and retains its distinctive shape regardless of weather conditions.
Bearskins are an iconic feature of major royal events. Here, Joe Biden and King Charles are seen inspecting a guard of honor formed by the Welsh Guards at Windsor Castle last year
In other cases, Legertop brass has happily adopted modern plastics.
False leopard skin is now worn by drummers in marching bands, while the smaller busby hats worn by the King’s Troop are no longer made of beaver fur.
Bearskins were adopted in the 18th century because the brimmed hats worn by grenadiers obscured their vision when they threw grenades.
In 1768 it was ordered that grenadiers in the Foot Guards should wear black bearskin caps, with the motto Nec Aspera Terrent (Even difficulties do not deter us) on a silver royal crest on the front.
At the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, the First Regiment of Foot Guards defeated the grenadiers of Napoleon’s Guard. They were rewarded with the title of Grenadier Regiment, with each soldier allowed to wear a bearskin.
The military takes 100 skins each year, probably a small fraction of the thousands of bears killed to control numbers.