Queen Elizabeth II Has Pledged Her Commitment to Faux Fur
Queen Elizabeth II, who’s stayed tried and true to monochrome ensembles, gloves, and black handbags for decades, has never been one to follow trends. But at 93, the monarch has decided to follow in the footsteps of Gucci, Versace, Michael Kors, and Maison Margiela—not to mention the entire state of California. Going a step further than Kate Middleton, who’s been known to wear faux fur in recent years, the Queen is moving way from fur entirely—at least when it comes to new additions to her wardrobe.
The news, like so many other headlines involving the Queen over the past few weeks, comes courtesy of a new memoir by her longtime personal advisor and official dresser, Angela Kelly. “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,” Kelly wrote. She also noted that the Queen has rather symbolically removed the mink fur trim from one of her favorite coats. (Having all of her fur coats remade into faux versions, à la Kim Kardashian, isn’t exactly the famously frugal monarch’s style.)
Almost immediately, the announcement has been greeted with heaps of praise. The Humane Society International formally announced that it’s “thrilled” and called for the British government to make the U.K. the first country in the world to ban the sale of fur. The U.K. branch of PETA also quickly tweeted both a tribute—”we’re raising a glass of gin and Dubonnet to the Queen’s compassionate decision to go fur-free”—and a suggestion, calling for the Queen’s Guard, known for their enormous bearskin hats, to follow suit.
But Buckingham Palace doesn’t seem entirely sold on the idea just yet. “As new outfits are designed for the Queen, any fur used will be fake,” a spokesperson confirmed to the Telegraph. In other words, the Queen will still wear the fur she already had in her wardrobe—particularly when it comes to fulfilling her royal duties. Don’t be surprised, then, when she turns up to next year’s annual State Opening of Parliament in her usual ermine cape.
Queen Elizabeth II leaving the Houses of Parliament after its state opening, wearing a satin evening gown with a fur-trimmed robe.
Related: Queen Elizabeth II, 93, Discovers the Wonder of Self-Checkout
An Appreciation of Queen Elizabeth II’s 93 Years of Loving Corgis
Queen Elizabeth II with two corgis at her home at 145 Piccadilly, London, 1936.
Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret at the windows of Y Bwthyn Bach, aka the Welsh House, a miniature house presented to them by the people of Wales, built in the grounds of the Royal Lodge, Windsor, 1936
Queen Elizabeth II with her dogs in her study, 1972.
Queen Elizabeth II with the Queen Mother, Princess Margaret, and one of the family’s corgis at a railway station, circa 1935.
Queen Elizabeth II arrives at King’s Cross railway station in London with her corgis after holidays in Balmoral Castle in Scotland and before welcoming the astronauts of Apollo 11 who walked on the moon to Buckingham Palace, 1969.
Queen Elizabeth II sitting on a garden seat with two corgis at her home on 145 Piccadilly, London, 1936.
Princess Margaret and Queen Elizabeth II with gardening equipment and a pet corgi on a terrace of the Royal Lodge, Windsor, 1940.
Queen Elizabeth ll arriving to the Aberdeen Airport with her corgis to start her holidays in Balmoral, Scotland, 1974.
Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret sitting on the grass in the grounds of the Royal Lodge, Windsor, stroking a corgi, 1936.
Queen Elizabeth II with her corgi Sue at Windsor Castle, 1944.
Queen Elizabeth II walking the Cross Country course with some of her corgis during the second day of the Windsor Horse Trials, 1980.
Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret studying whilst a corgi sleeps at their feet in a drawing room at Windsor Castle, Berkshire, 1940.
Queen Elizabeth II with her dogs at a window of Y Bwthyn Bach, aka the Welsh House, a miniature house presented to her and Princess Margaret by the people of Wales, built in the grounds of the Royal Lodge, Windsor, 1936.
Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret in a carriage in the grounds of the Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park, 1940.
Queen Elizabeth II relaxes at Sandringham with her corgis, 1980.
Queen Elizabeth II with two corgis and Princess Anne on the runway of an airport in London, 1969.
Queen Elizabeth II carrying one of her dogs at Windsor Great Park, England, 1990.
Queen Elizabeth at Balmoral Castle in Scotland with one of her corgis, 1952.
Queen Elizabeth II traveling in the back of a car with one of her corgis, circa 1980.
Queen Elizabeth II hugging Dookie, her first-ever corgi, 1936.
