Stephen Fry calls for an end to use of real bear fur in caps worn by the King's Guard
He says it's a "cruel" practice.
Last updated 10th Jan 2024
Broadcaster, actor and writer Stephen Fry is calling for an end to the use of real bear fur in caps worn by the King's Guard - which protects places including Buckingham Palace.
Fry's teamed up with PETA to say it's a "cruel" practice that "brings dishonour to our country", with Canadian black bears "mercilessly killed".
He's narrated a video for the animal rights group, in which he explains the bears are killed with guns or crossbows after being lured with buckets of food.
He also says the skin of one bear is needed to make a single cap and the continued use of fur by the Army incentivises hunters to kill.
What are Bearskin Caps?
The caps are worn by the Grenadier Guards, the Coldstream Guards, the Scots Guards, the Irish Guards and the Welsh Guards.
They have been used for more than 200 years but are now purely ceremonial, worn during parades and by guards at places such as Buckingham Palace.
However, Fry says "tradition is never an excuse for cruelty" and is urging the Ministry of Defence to switch to an artificial fur that PETA says is as good as - and in some respects better - than the real version.
What does the Ministry of Defence say?
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said "an alternative has yet to meet the standards required to provide an effective replacement for the bearskin ceremonial caps".
They also said the fur is from "legal and licensed hunts" intended to manage populations and the bears "are not hunted to order".