The queen's longtime dresser, Angela Kelly, has declared in her memoir that that Queen Elizabeth will stop using real fur in her outfits—a report confirmed by the Palace to The Telegraph. Going forward, any fur featured in the Queen's new outfits will be fake fur.
"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," writes Kelly.
Kelly notes that the Queen will continue to wear items trimmed with real fur that she already has in her wardrobe, particularly ceremonial outfits. Some of the Queen's official robes are trimmed with animal pelt, such as the ermine-trimmed, purple velvet robe she wore to her coronation ceremony in 1953. Per Kelly's book, the Queen will still be able to wear these in public and to state events.
'The Queen at her coronation in an ermine-trimmed robe.'
The Queen's decision mirrors a trend among younger members of the royal family: Kate Middleton has been seen wearing faux fur; when she does wear real fur, it is said to be from ethical sources.
'Kate wearing a hat and gloves made from fake fur.'
For example, the gray alpaca hat (pictured below) worn by Kate a couple of years back is made by a designer named Antonia Valentin Jacob, who uses fur from alpacas who have died of natural causes for her hats.
Meghan Markle reportedly does not wear fur in her outfits, preferring to choose sustainable designers who use faux fur.
The Palace's announcement has been greeted with acclaim from animal rights activists. In a statement, the Humane Society said: "We are calling on the British Government to follow Her Majesty’s example and make the UK the first country in the world to ban the sale of animal fur."
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