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Original poster

To want guards with bearskins today?

61 replies

Choux · 23/05/2024 07:51

Yesterday's changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace was cancelled due to the rain. It's our last day in London today so we want to see a guard in a sentry box today. A 3 yr old needs to see one.

There used to be sentry boxes outside St James' Palace but from looking at Google maps it looks like they moved the boxes inside about 10 years ago. Is there anywhere other than through the gates of Buck Palace that I can see a guard in a bearskin today?

(Posting here for more traffic)

OP posts:
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PonyPatter44 · 24/05/2024 15:18

Solidlump · 23/05/2024 07:58

Fair enough wanting to see guards.
But wanting to see them wearing the skin of some poor slaughtered animal? Horrible.

Oh ffs....

KreedKafer · 24/05/2024 15:15

Ponoka7 · 23/05/2024 08:42

Their boots are leather, so plenty of dead animal skins abound.

@Therapy4all when you spend time and money to go to a tourist destination, it isn't being entitled to expect the advertised things to see and do, to be available.

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when you spend time and money to go to a tourist destination, it isn't being entitled to expect the advertised things to see and do, to be available

London is a functioning capital city, not a theme park. Spending money on a train ticket to London isn't the same as somehow paying the city an entry fee and expecting to get to see all the attractions for the ticket price. Nobody visiting London has actually paid anyone any money to show a toddler a man wearing a specific hat.

Also, the guardsmen are serving soldiers doing a job. They (sometimes) wear a ceremonial uniform but they are still ultimately a security force guarding the palace. Soldiers in bearskins are something you might see in London, if they happen to be on duty when you're there. Tourists like looking at them, but that isn't actually the reason they're there. Tourists also like seeing policemen wearing helmets, but it would fucking nuts to expect it.

When I went to Canada and saw Mounties patrolling in Calgary, I didn't kick off because they weren't wearing their red dress jackets and wide-brimmed hats.

Edit: I should add that I don't think @Choux has come across as entitled herself at any point! @Choux, I hope you've had a great time with or without fuzzy hats.

Ponoka7 · 24/05/2024 14:54

Solidlump · 23/05/2024 08:47

I take the point about the leather.
But I think wearing leather shoes, which are functional, is slightly different from wearing animal fur which is being touted as a tourist attraction.

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It isn't because we now have excellent vegan leather, fur and it's attributes can't be reproduced. I would no longer wear fur, but did used to wear my GM's vintage furs. Stella McCartney has asked to be allowed to try to make vegan bearskin on the King's behalf. But then what happens to the bear skins frkm the culled bears? Is it right to just burn them?

Original poster
Choux · 23/05/2024 18:25

I should have named the thread 'guards with fuzzy hats' as the hats shape and texture was what was important to him.

Anyway we saw no guards, no horse guards and no beefeaters. We did get told off for going on the grass near a cannon at the Tower of London. He said sorry to the staff member who told him off and had a fist bump with him too. And we saw the Shard which was also in his London book. So far he hasn't mentioned fuzzy hats today so we will put the book away now till next time he visits.

Thanks all.

OP posts:
CoralReader · 23/05/2024 16:40

HolyGrapefruit · 23/05/2024 08:19

It IS real bear fur.

You might not get it at the CotG anyway as it's only one particular regiment who wears them.

5 regiments wear them

BMW6 · 23/05/2024 16:38

Well as the bears need to be culled at least using their fur (and meat I hope) is better than just burning or burying their corpses.

JustMove · 23/05/2024 15:50

Rubyupbeat · 23/05/2024 11:34

Bearskins have been fake for years

No they haven't! Real bearskin is still very much used.
Only Busby's are made from fake fur, which the guards don't wear.

GrannyOgre · 23/05/2024 15:27

Probably a bit late but… you could go to the Guard’s Museum on Birdcage Walk.

rainbowunicorn · 23/05/2024 15:15

Fuck me the crazies are out in force today. I'm going to assume none of them eat meat or ever wear leather or use a leather bag or purse.
I would be willing to bet at least half of them do all of the above.

piscofrisco · 23/05/2024 14:34

Christ this thread. A 3 year old has heard/seen pics of the famous changing of the guards with the bear hats. She desperately wants to see one. Do we have to have endless tirades about animal rights (the bloody hate are sustainably sourced) and how entitled a small child is for wanting to see something she has heard about and has stuck in her mind (and which is standard fayre for a trip to London)? Gods sake.
I hope she saw her changing of guards OP and enjoyed it.

Floatlikeafeather2 · 23/05/2024 12:51

westcountrywoman · 23/05/2024 12:11

Most are synthetic. Those that are still bear skin are old (or rather the skins are recycled onto new hats for as long as they are useful).

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They are not synthetic. Look it up. The Government has discussed the issue and there was even a synthetics trial but the big hats are still made from real bear skin which is supplied by Canada.

Needanewname42 · 23/05/2024 12:29

For all those who want synthetic (aka plastic) bearskins and shoes think how long they will take to disintegrate when they reach the end of their useful lifespan.

At least natural products will rot into the ground and be recycled ♻️

frankentall · 23/05/2024 12:17

GoldViper · 23/05/2024 12:07

Fucking hell this thread is mad 😆

Bet you wish you'd never asked op! 😉

Peak MN innit?

westcountrywoman · 23/05/2024 12:11

Solidlump · 23/05/2024 07:58

Fair enough wanting to see guards.
But wanting to see them wearing the skin of some poor slaughtered animal? Horrible.

Most are synthetic. Those that are still bear skin are old (or rather the skins are recycled onto new hats for as long as they are useful).

GoldViper · 23/05/2024 12:07

Fucking hell this thread is mad 😆

Bet you wish you'd never asked op! 😉

Rollawaythestone · 23/05/2024 12:03

Nigellasstickytoffeepudding · 23/05/2024 08:10

It's just the name of the hat. Most are synthetic these days.

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No, they're not. They're still made from real bear skin. The pelts come from Canada where they regularly cull bears.

Solidlump · 23/05/2024 12:01

AtomicBlondeRose · 23/05/2024 11:47

The guards are wearing them whether OP goes to see them or not so this is a weird thing to jump on her for.

I agree if OP had just said she wanted to see the guards I wouldn't have commented on the thread at all.
It was the fact she explicitly said
she wanted to see the guards wearing bearskin that made it an issue.
I actually thought at first the whole point of starting the thread was to open up a debate about the rights and wrongs of the bear skin. I didn't realise OP didn't really care about that side of things and actually just wanted to see the guard.

DdraigGoch · 23/05/2024 11:58

Solidlump · 23/05/2024 11:15

Oh yes, caring about animal welfare and exploitation is very boring isn't it?

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Most utterly tedious to keep droning on about your virtue.

The bears would be dead anyway, the Canadians cull them to control their numbers.

AtomicBlondeRose · 23/05/2024 11:47

The guards are wearing them whether OP goes to see them or not so this is a weird thing to jump on her for.

Solidlump · 23/05/2024 11:45

ItsFuckingBoringFeedingEveryoneUntilYouDie · 23/05/2024 11:34

That would be relevant if they were farmed and kept under cruel conditions instead of being culled from the wild.

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I agree there are degrees of cruelty and keeping them in captivity would be worse.
But there is a lot of concern about the supply of the bear skins and the spiel about the culling.

Startingagainandagain · 23/05/2024 11:42

'@Solidlump
Fair enough wanting to see guards.
But wanting to see them wearing the skin of some poor slaughtered animal? Horrible.'

Exactly.

albertoross · 23/05/2024 11:38

LutonBeds · 23/05/2024 08:12

No one ‘needs’ to see one 🙄.

You don't understand 3 year olds

Original poster
Choux · 23/05/2024 11:37

Rubyupbeat · 23/05/2024 11:34

Bearskins have been fake for years

Apparently not. They are real.

www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/do-the-kings-guards-wear-real-bearskin-hats

OP posts:
ItsFuckingBoringFeedingEveryoneUntilYouDie · 23/05/2024 11:34

Solidlump · 23/05/2024 11:15

Oh yes, caring about animal welfare and exploitation is very boring isn't it?

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That would be relevant if they were farmed and kept under cruel conditions instead of being culled from the wild.

Original poster
Choux · 23/05/2024 11:34

Thanks @MissFancyDay but I did post in AIBU so was aware that as well as a lot of traffic I would get opinionated traffic. I don't need them to be wearing real bearskins but he wants to see the 'fuzzy hats' and the UK army uses bearskins to make the fuzzy hats. I don't get a say in the army uniform choices.

OP posts: