King Charles’ royal guards have been criticized by actor and TV presenter Stephen Fry for their use of real animal fur for their famous tall black hats.
Stephen, who has starred in The Hobbit movies, recently joined forces with PETA to narrate a video about how bears are baited and then slaughtered for the use of their fur. He called out King Charles’ and Buckingham Palace guards, who wear bearskin hats. The bears whose fur is used are “mercilessly” shot in Ontario, Canada, he says. This is despite faux fur being much cheaper and a more ethical alternative.
Stephen Fry calls out King Charles’ guards
The PETA video shows an undercover investigator with the hunters as well as footage of the animals being baited with bagels, oil, and biscuits. The clip shows the moment they are shot by hunters, with Stephen explaining not all the bears die instantly, and they are left to bleed out.
The TV show host says in the narration: “Black bears like this are mercilessly killed by trophy hunters. Their fur may then be used to make the caps worn by the King’s Guard – purely ornamental headgear that serves no military purpose.”
The guard’s outfits are very recognizable. They wear red jackets, black pants, and a hat that weighs one kilo and must be 18 inches tall. In the past, those on duty have fainted due to the elements of their uniform in the summer months.
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The Hollywood star continues in the video: “By continuing to purchase caps made of black bear fur, the UK government drives demand for pelts and effectively incentivizes hunters.”
He added: “Tradition is never an excuse for cruelty. Britain has always prided itself on being sporting, but these bears – lured with cookies to the hunters’ hiding place – stand no chance of survival.”
PETA claims their alternative “meets all criteria outlined by the Ministry of Defence (MoD)”. But the MoD rebuffed this claim, saying: “To date and to the Department’s knowledge, an alternative has yet to meet the standards required to provide an effective replacement for the bearskin ceremonial caps.
“Bears are not hunted to order for the Ministry of Defence and bear pelts used are a product of legal and licensed hunts.”
PETA spokesperson calls the regime ‘unacceptable’
Appearing on GB News, PETA’s senior campaigns manager Kate Werner discussed the use of real animal fur for King Charles’ royal guards. She called the events “unacceptable.”
“It’s just unacceptable that the government continues to support the slaughter of these bears when a faux bear fur is readily available,” she explained. “It’s being offered to the MoD at no cost until 2030 in an unlimited amount. We know that it beats bear fur in terms of performance and aesthetics, so there really is no reason why the MoD can’t make this switch.”
Werner continued by saying the new video with the royal, who is known to have been vocal about topics such as animal welfare and global warming “before it was fashionable” around the 1970s and 80s.
“We hope he will support the call and we will see some movement from the ~moD on this issue,” she added. PETA has offered to pay for new testing on the faux fur to see how it holds up against the genuine fur.
“It’s outrageous and we have to see change,” Werner concluded.
Government response
In 2022, a petition on the UK government’s website received more than 100,000 signatures asking for real fur to be replaced by faux when it came to King Charles’ royal guards hats.
They responded after a debate, saying they had no plans to change how they were doing things.
“Currently, we have no plans to end the use of bearskins. Bear pelts that are used are the by-products of a licensed cull by the Canadian authorities to manage the wild bear population,” a statement read.
The royal family nor the king has yet spoken publically about this issue.
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