Soaring cost of King’s Guards' real fur bearskin caps revealed

The bearskin caps worn by soldiers extracurricular Buckingham Palace present outgo much than £2,000 each, according to figures from the Ministry of Defence (MOD).

The outgo of the ceremonial caps, made from the fur of achromatic bears, soared by 30% successful a year, according to figures revealed successful effect to a Freedom of Information petition from carnal payment campaigners.

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) radical are against utilizing existent fur successful principle, but they accidental it is besides present a fiscal arsenic good arsenic an ethical issue, with £1m spent connected fur caps successful caller years.

The MOD said: “We are unfastened to exploring faux fur alternatives if they walk the indispensable requirements."

However, the ministry spokesperson said a fake fur mentation would person to fulfill "safety and durability considerations" and that "no alternate has met each those criteria to date".

The crisp summation successful terms is explained by the MOD arsenic the effect of a alteration successful the "contractual arrangements" for the caps, which are each made from the fur of bears hunted successful Canada.

The outgo of the caps worn by the King's Guard roseate from £1,560 each successful 2022 to £2,040 successful 2023.

Elisa Allen of Peta called connected the MOD to "stop wasting payer pounds connected caps made from slaughtered wildlife, and power to faux fur today".

The distinctive gangly caps are worn connected ceremonial events specified arsenic Trooping the Colour, and the figures from the MOD amusement that 24 caller caps were bought successful 2023 and 13 successful 2022. Over the past decennary the magnitude spent connected replacement caps has been much than £1m.

Defenders of utilizing existent fur caps person argued that they are long-lasting and support their quality for specified showcase subject occasions.

Animal payment campaigners person claimed it is cruel and unnecessary for the King's Guard to usage existent fur, saying it takes the fur of 1 carnivore to marque each bearskin.

The determination connected the usage of existent fur is up to the MOD alternatively than the royals, but arsenic the BBC antecedently revealed, Queen Camilla switched this twelvemonth to lone buying fake fur clothes, saying successful a missive she would "not procure immoderate caller fur garments".

There has been disapproval from Peta of however achromatic bears are caught and killed, with accusations that hunters tin usage crossbows, and the animals mightiness suffer for a agelong time.

However, the MOD says each of the fur it uses comes from ineligible and licensed hunts from the regulated Canadian market, and that bears are not "hunted to order" to marque the caps.

In opposition, Labour's then-shadow defence minster Stephanie Peacock had called for "an contiguous reappraisal of the imaginable alternatives to carnivore fur, taking an in-depth look astatine contracts and costs".

She had told the House of Commons: "It is incredibly important that traditions make and accommodate if they are to survive."

With Labour present successful government, the Ministry of Defence says it would invited the submission of samples of fake fur for testing.

However, immoderate alternate worldly for the caps would request to execute successful areas specified arsenic h2o absorption and keeping its shape.