To want guards with bearskins today?

[Choux]

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)

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

5 regiments wear them

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.

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?

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.

Oh ffs....