New outfits designed for Queen Elizabeth II will not include real fur, Buckingham Palace announced on Wednesday.
The 93-year-old monarch, who has worn fur over the decades, will continue, however, to “re-wear existing outfits in her wardrobe,” the palace said.{mosads}
The announcement comes after the queen’s senior dresser, Angela Kelly, wrote in her new book that the royal will instead opt for fake furs, according to The Telegraph.
“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,” she wrote in “The Other Side of The Coin: The Queen, The Dresser and The Wardrobe.”
According to Kelly, a coat worn by the queen in Slovakia in 2008 has been altered to replace the original mink trim with fake fur.
Kelly had worked for the royals for 25 years and wrote that the queen’s decision would send “a powerful message that fur is firmly out of fashion.”
“Queen Elizabeth’s decision to ‘go faux’ is the perfect reflection of the mood of the British public, the vast majority of whom detest cruel fur, and want nothing to do with it,” Kelly wrote.
The monarch has faced scrutiny for years over her decision to wear fur. The Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, wears fur, but The Telegraph noted that she ensures it comes from ethical sources.
Claire Bass, executive director of Humane Society International, praised the change in a statement to the news outlet.
“Queen Elizabeth’s decision to ‘go faux’ is the perfect reflection of the mood of the British public, the vast majority of whom detest cruel fur, and want nothing to do with it,” Bass wrote. “Our Head of State going fur-free sends a powerful message that fur is firmly out of fashion and does not belong with Brand Britain.”
Bass also called for the British government to follow the queen’s example and make the U.K. the first country in the world to ban the sale of animal fur.
In 2000, the country became the first to ban fur farming on ethical grounds. The Telegraph, however, noted that it still allows animal fur to be imported.