There is a report by the BBC as follows:
"""""The Ministry of Defence is to meet an animal rights group to discuss alternatives to the bearskin hats worn by guards at Buckingham Palace.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) has approached Vivienne Westwood and Stella McCartney to design a new shape for the 18in hat.
The charity has previously called for fake fur to be used, but said the MoD was not happy with prototype designs.
Baroness Taylor, minister for defence procurement, will meet Peta on Tuesday. """"""""""""""
It says it all about this Government that they take these nutty extremists so seriously. As for asking McCartney and Westwood to design new hats for the Guards, well the mind just boggles, what a totally absurd and idiotic idea.
Lets just look at a couple of facts about the bearskins:
1/ No animals are specifically killed to provide them, they are a side-product of the annual bear cull that is done for conservation purposes in Canada. To stop buying the skins will not save the life of a single bear, indeed it will deprive conservation of some much needed cash.
2/ The skins are very durable and many worn today are 50 or so years old. Artificial fur would not last nearly so long (and certainly would not look so good). The costs would also be higher.
I would suggest taking a look at this article on the link below. It tells you a lot about the subject and places this loonacy of PETA into perspective.
http://www.soldiermagazine.co.uk/flashback/pages/437.pdf