What is the origin of the Beefeater hat?
This celebrated item, still worn by the Guards Division on ceremonial duties, has its origins in the Battle of Waterloo, where the 1st Foot Guards of Wellington’s army fought against the French Imperial Guard, who wore bearskin caps.
What are the British guards with big hats called?
They are called the Queen’s Guard. They consists of Foot Guards in full-dress uniform of red tunics and bearskins (hats).
How much does a royal guard hat cost?
For royal guards The hats are worn by members of the five regiments — the Grenadier, Welsh, Irish, Scots and Coldstream Guards — who protect Buckingham Palace and other royal sites. The bearskin hats cost $1,218, and can last 20 to 40 years through wind, rain and sun exposure.
What hats do Beefeaters wear?
The bearskin caps used by the Canadian Armed Forces are of black fur, and include a coloured plume on the side of the bearskin, and a gold-coloured chin strap. The Canadian Forces Dress Instructions authorize the use of bearskins for all of its foot guards and fusilier regiments.
What is a British Beefeater?
What is a Beefeater? Well, they are the ceremonial guards of the Tower of London. Their official title is ‘The Yeomen Warders of Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London, and Members of the Sovereign’s Body Guard of the Yeoman Guard Extraordinary’.
Why are Beefeater hats so big?
So why do these guards wear tall black hats and conspicuous red tunics? As hard as it may be to believe, the uniform was supposed to intimidate opposing armies. “The idea was that you made your foot soldiers look taller and therefore more fearsome,” said Richard Fitzwilliams, a royal commentator based in London.
How heavy is a Beefeater hat?
1.5 pounds
The standard bearskin for the British foot guards is 11 inches (280 mm) tall at the front, 16 inches (410 mm) to the rear, weighs 1.5 pounds (0.68 kg) and is made from the fur of the Canadian black bear.
Why do they call them Beefeaters?
The name Beefeaters is often thought to come from the French word – ‘buffetier’. (Buffetiers were guards in the palace of French kings. They protected the king’s food.)
What kind of Hat does a Beefeater wear?
Beefeaters do not wear tall fuzzy hats, the Buckingham Palace Guards or Household Troops do. They are called Bearskin Hats. The Yeomen of the Guard, or Beefeaters, are ceremonial guards at the Tower of London who wear scarlet and gold uniforms from the fifteenth century and carry a halberd.
What do the Beefeaters wear at the Tower of London?
They are called Bearskin Hats. The Yeomen of the Guard, or Beefeaters, are ceremonial guards at the Tower of London who wear scarlet and gold uniforms from the fifteenth century and carry a halberd. As for the history of the hats themselves, see:
Where did the term Beefeaters come from for the British guards?
(Buffetiers were guards in the palace of French kings. They protected the king’s food.) However, the name Beefeater is more likely to have originated from the time when the Yeomen Warders at the Tower were paid part of their salary with chunks of beef. This took place right up until the 1800s.
Where does the British Army get its bearskin hats from?
Bearskin hats are made from the skin of American black bears, taken annually during the Black Bear Cull in Canada. The British Army takes 100 skins for itself, supposedly a mere fraction of the thousands of bears that are killed to keep numbers in check. Photo: Alan Habbick Photography.