After the state opening of parliament, on the 17th of May, Colonel Silas Suchanek, DC IPTL, and members of the Guards took the opportunity to show Canadian, Russian and British TV the new synthetic caps in use.

Trials of fake-fur have been ongoing for several years, as the structure of bear fur is not easy to replicate. However the Defence Logistics Organisation does appreciate how strongly many people feel about the use of real bearskin and is keen to find an alternative if possible.

As Colonel Suchanek explained to the cameras

‘‘It is too soon to draw any conclusions on the outcome of this trial and when worn on parade the synthetic skins will have to prove that they can withstand the wind and rain, whilst keeping our Guards’ smart. DC IPT would very much like to introduce a synthetic alternative when its performance has been shown to match that of real fur.’’

Faux fur has already replaced the leopardskins worn by the Army drummers and the beaver fur ‘busby’ hats worn by the Kings’ Troops.

Bearskins, weigh around 2lb and are worn by the Scots, Welsh, Irish, Grenadier and Coldstream Guards.