Why Buckingham Palace’s bearskin caps might soon be a relic of the past

Soldiers in bright red uniforms and tall, black fur hats outside Buckingham Palace are a familiar sight for anyone who’s visited London.

But the distinctive caps – among the most recognizable symbols of the British monarchy – have become increasingly contentious for their use of real bear fur.

Now, a group of British lawmakers has called on the government to end the use of real bearskins in the ceremonial headpieces worn by the King’s Guard.

The practice is “impossible to justify” and should be replaced with synthetic alternatives, according to cross-party members of parliament (MPs).

In a letter to Defence Minister Luke Pollard this week, 18 MPs and one member of the House of Lords urged the government to stop using bear pelts sourced from legal culls in Canada and instead adopt faux-fur alternatives.

The lawmakers called on the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and its suppliers to “work proactively with manufacturers to develop and adopt a suitable faux fur alternative, in line with the Government’s commitment to advancing animal welfare.”

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

The letter said the continued use of real bearskins does not “meet today’s ethical standards” and argued that new orders should be halted while alternative materials are developed.

“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,” the lawmakers wrote.

Animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) UK, which has led several campaigns against the use of bearskins, said Freedom of Information data showed that 22 bearskin caps were ordered in 2024 and 96 in 2025.

In a 2024 campaign, PETA UK said, “it takes the skin of at least one bear to make a single cap” and claimed that the 526 bearskin hats purchased by the MoD between 2017 and July 2024 represented “at least as many slaughtered bears.”

Following the lawmakers’ letter, PETA UK renewed its call for a synthetic alternative, saying in a press release that “the MoD must urgently dedicate its resources to finding a faux fur and end the UK’s support for the slaughter of wildlife overseas.”

A defense ministry spokesperson told CNN the MoD “backs replacing bearskin caps with a faux-fur alternative and we have set five tests any alternative must pass.”

Isabel Infantes/Reuters

The spokesperson added that the ministry “would be happy to resume work with PETA on an alternative should they wish to re-engage.”

The five requirements from the MoD for any alternatives must cover water absorption, water penetration, appearance, drying rate and compression. A replacement material would also need to be approved by serving guards to ensure it retains its shape during ceremonial duties and is safe and comfortable to wear.

A replacement would also need to be assessed for other factors including sustainability, affordability and long-term suitability before being considered as a replacement for real bearskin.

The bearskin caps are most commonly associated with the King’s Guard, whose soldiers stand watch outside Buckingham Palace and other royal residences. They are also a prominent feature of state and ceremonial occasions, including the King’s Birthday Parade, also known as Trooping the Colour, and the State Opening of Parliament.

The soldiers who make up the King’s Guard are drawn from the British Army’s five Foot Guards regiments: the Grenadier Guards, Coldstream Guards, Scots Guards, Irish Guards and Welsh Guards, all of whom wear the distinct bearskin cap on ceremonial duties.

CNN's Max Foster chats with Lieutenant Colonel Storm Green about the signature bearskin hats worn by the honour guards of the British Army ahead of President Donald Trump's UK state visit.

Dating back to the early 19th century, the caps were intended to make soldiers appear taller and more imposing on the battlefield.

Built around a wicker frame, the caps stand at about 45 centimetres (18 inches) tall. The Welsh Guards say they are carefully maintained and are “brushed, steamed and even shampooed” to keep the fur clean and in shape.

With proper care, a bearskin cap can remain in service for decades. Some caps currently in use are more than 40 years old, according to the Welsh Guards.

The UK government said in April that each bearskin cap costs about £2,460 (about $3,300) to procure.

Based on Freedom of Information data, PETA UK estimated that the MoD spent more than £1 million ($1.3 million) on bearskin caps between 2017 and 2024.

对于任何到过伦敦的人来说，白金汉宫外身穿鲜红色制服、头戴高高的黑色皮帽的士兵都是一道熟悉的风景。

但这些独特的帽子——英国王室最具辨识度的象征之一——由于使用了真正的熊皮而越来越受到争议。

现在，一群英国议员呼吁政府停止在国王卫队佩戴的仪式头饰中使用真正的熊皮。

跨党派议员认为，这种做法“毫无道理可言”，应该用合成替代品来取代。

本周，18 位国会议员和 1 位上议院议员联名致信国防部长卢克·波拉德，敦促政府停止使用从加拿大合法捕杀中获得的熊皮，转而采用人造毛皮替代品。

议员们呼吁国防部及其供应商“积极与制造商合作，开发和采用合适的仿毛皮替代品，以符合政府推进动物福利的承诺”。

安娜·莫尼梅克/盖蒂图片社

信中表示，继续使用真熊皮“不符合当今的道德标准”，并认为在开发替代材料期间应停止新的订单。

议员们写道：“最紧迫的是，在这一过程继续进行的同时，熊仍然被弩箭射杀，它们的幼崽成为孤儿，它们的皮毛被用来制作新的帽子。”

动物权利组织“善待动物组织”（PETA）英国分部曾多次发起反对使用熊皮的运动，该组织表示，根据《信息自由法》的数据显示，2024 年订购了 22 顶熊皮帽，2025 年订购了 96 顶。

在 2024 年的一项活动中，英国 PETA 表示，“制作一顶帽子至少需要一张熊皮”，并声称英国国防部在 2017 年至 2024 年 7 月期间购买的 526 顶熊皮帽“至少代表着同样多的被屠杀的熊”。

在议员们致信之后，英国善待动物组织 (PETA UK) 再次呼吁使用合成替代品，并在新闻稿中表示，“国防部必须紧急投入资源寻找人造毛皮，并停止英国对海外野生动物屠杀的支持。”

国防部发言人告诉 CNN，国防部“支持用人造毛皮替代品取代熊皮帽，我们设定了五项测试，任何替代品都必须通过这些测试。”

伊莎贝尔·因凡特斯/路透社

发言人补充说，如果 PETA 希望重新合作，该部“很乐意与他们就替代方案继续合作”。

国防部对任何替代方案提出的五项要求必须涵盖吸水性、透水性、外观、干燥速度和压缩性。此外，替代材料还需经现役卫兵批准，以确保其在执行礼仪任务时保持形状，并且穿着安全舒适。

在考虑用其他材料替代真正的熊皮之前，还需要评估其可持续性、价格承受能力和长期适用性等因素。

熊皮帽最常与国王卫队联系在一起，他们的士兵在白金汉宫和其他皇家住所外站岗。熊皮帽也是国家和礼仪场合的重要标志，包括国王生日阅兵式（也称为皇家阅兵仪式）和议会开幕大典。

组成国王卫队的士兵来自英国陆军的五个步兵卫队团：掷弹兵卫队、冷溪卫队、苏格兰卫队、爱尔兰卫队和威尔士卫队，所有这些士兵在执行礼仪任务时都会佩戴独特的熊皮帽。

在唐纳德·特朗普总统对英国进行国事访问之前，CNN 的马克斯·福斯特与英国陆军中校斯托姆·格林就英国陆军仪仗队佩戴的标志性熊皮帽进行了交谈。

这种帽子可以追溯到 19 世纪初，其目的是为了让士兵在战场上显得更高大、更有威慑力。

这些帽子以柳条框架为底，高约45厘米（18英寸）。威尔士卫队表示，他们会精心保养这些帽子，并“刷毛、蒸汽清洁，甚至用洗发水清洗”，以保持毛皮清洁和形状。

只要保养得当，熊皮帽可以使用数十年。据威尔士卫队称，目前仍在使用的一些熊皮帽已有40多年的历史。

英国政府在四月份表示，采购一顶熊皮帽的成本约为 2460 英镑（约合 3300 美元）。

根据《信息自由法》的数据，英国动物权益组织 PETA 估计，英国国防部在 2017 年至 2024 年间花费了超过 100 万英镑（130 万美元）用于购买熊皮帽。