High fur military hat
Bearskin is a tall fur cap worn as part of a ceremonial military uniform
Traditionally, bearskin was the helmet of grenadiers and is still used by grenadier and guards regiments in various armies
After the Battle of Waterloo and the action in which they earned their name, Grenadier Guards were allowed to wear bearskin
This tradition was later extended to the other two Guards regiments
Royal Scots Dragoon Guards and officers of Rifle Regiments also wear bearskin as part of their ceremonial uniform
The British Foot Guards standard bearskin is 18 inches tall, weighs 15 pounds, and is made from the skin of the Canadian black bear
However, an officer’s bearskin is made from the skin of the Canadian brown bear, as the female has thicker, fuller fur and is dyed black
A whole skin is used for each hat
The British Army buys the hats, known as caps, from a British hat maker who purchases their furs at an international auction
Hat makers buy between 50 and 100 black bear skins each year, at a cost of around £650 each
If properly maintained, lids last for decades; some caps in use are over 100 years old
grenadier guards
Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
Several readers have sent in questions about the bearskin hat that Prince William (and Prince Charles and the Duke of Kent) wore during the recent Trooping the Color
Current and former members of the Grenadier and Coldstream Guards, as well as contacts at Royal Warrant Holder Patey (London) Ltd, who make ceremonial hats for the British royal family, report that bearskin hats are now made from faux fur
In the past, however, they were made from real bear skins
These real bearskin hats are still in service, carefully maintained so they will last for decades (some are reportedly over 100 years old)
The tall hats weigh approximately seven pounds and were made from the skins of Canadian brown bears (brown bears have thicker fur than black bears, so these skins were simply dyed black)
Embedded from Getty Images
It all goes back to 1815, when the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards defeated Napoleon’s French Grenadier Guards at the Battle of Waterloo and celebrated their victory by stealing their stately fur hats
When they returned to England they were renamed the Grenadier Guards (the name they still bear today) and their uniform was changed to include these tall fur hats as a permanent reminder of their victory
Today, there are 5 regiments and each has a special colored feather plume on their bearskin to distinguish their regiment
Prince William is part of the Irish regiment, whose bearskins have a blue plume (below right)
The Coldstream Guards have a red plume, the Grenadier Guards have a white plume (see Duke of Edinburgh above), the Welsh Guards have a white-green-white striped plume (see Prince of Wales, below right) and the Scottish Guards don’t have a feather
There is excellent information about the Grenadier Guards and their Bearskins here and I also recommend the 4 part miniseries “Guarding the Queen” which is available on youtube (here is the first episode)
Getty photos as indicated