While most of the press about the royal family lately has been about Meghan and Harry following the release of Harry & Meghan: An African Journey, this time it’s Queen Elizabeth II herself who is making waves. In a bold progressive move, the monarch has decided that, moving forward, all new clothing will be made using fake fur.
Members of the royal family have taken heat for their choice to continue to wear fur long after the public sentiment toward doing so had soured. During this time, many famous clothing houses gave up the use of fur, which made their continued use of real fur noticeable. Steeped in tradition with a long history of using fur, it wasn’t surprising that this wasn’t a quick or simple change for the royal family to make. Many expected the practice to slowly die out with the younger royals wearing only ethically sourced or no fur themselves. However, few expected the Queen, at the age of 93, to step forward with a new very modern wardrobe makeover. She has managed to surprise the world with this new ban on fur in her outfits.
As reported by People, this will mean that all royal clothing designs and costumes made for the Queen moving forward will be done so with faux fur. It was Angela Kelly, the Queen’s senior dresser, who revealed this news in her book The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe. Kelly wrote, “If Her Majesty is due to attend an engagement in particularly cold weather, from 2019 onwards fake fur will be used to make sure she stays warm.” Buckingham Palace officials have confirmed that new outfits will be made without the use of fur, however they cautioned that the Queen would still be re-wearing existing pieces made with fur, including things like fur-trimmed historical ceremonial robes.
As the pieces in question have historic value, it is understandable that they cannot or should not be altered. Kelly’s book also provides the surprising news that some other pieces are currently or have recently had the fur removed. In discussing these changes, a photo of a specific outfit that the Queen wore when she toured Slovakia with husband Prince Phillip in 2008 was included. The outfit included an off-white coat that had mink fur for the collar and cuffs. In a caption for the photo, she includes that the fur pieces have “now been removed and will be replaced with fake fur.”
While not everyone is happy with some of the moves made by Meghan and Harry to modernize the royal lifestyle, it appears the Queen has some ideas of her own about how to bring the monarchy into the future. This step was not a small one, and with it, the Queen has proven you are never too old to keep moving forward. It will be interesting to see the changes that come in the future, but we’ve all been reminded that it’s not just the younger generation we need to keep watching for positive change.
Next: Meghan Markle Says She’s Not OK After Public Scrutiny Since Joining the Royal Family
Source: People
