Morrissey Condemns British Royal Guard for Wearing Bearskin Hats

An animal rights advocate and longtime vegetarian, Morrissey has written a letter to the UK's Times to support Conservative MP Ann Widdecombe's campaign end the killing of Canadian brown bears for the sake of using their fur for the Royal Guards' signature hats. In the letter, TwentyFourBit reports, Morrissey urges the Queen of England to replace the trademark headgear with a faux version in order to keep the species alive.

"In the humanised world, of course, hats are not worth killing for," Morrissey's letter reads. "Yes, animal rights move different people differently, and there are even those who think that animals simply have no right to be, but there is no sanity in making life difficult on purpose for the Canadian brown bear, especially for Guards hats that look absurd in the first place, and which can easily be replaced by faux versions (thanks to the visionary Stella McCartney) with no death involved."

While the former Smiths singer doesn't want to think negatively of the Queen of England, he believes she should be aware of how her security team gets those hats. "It is difficult not to look to the Queen herself -- after all, they are her Guards, and she must surely be aware of the horrific process utilised to supply real bearskins for her Guards," he wrote. "The mere sight of each bearskin hat must surely jab at the Queen's heart."

Morrissey ends the letter on a sour note saying, "The Guards wearing real fur reflects the human spirit at its lowest."