Royal Stewart tartan

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The Royal Stewart Tartan
The Royal Stewart Tartan

The Royal Stewart Tartan is the tartan of the royal House of Stewart, and is also the personal tartan of Queen Elizabeth II. It is said to be appropriate for all subjects of Elizabeth II to wear the Royal Stewart tartan[citation needed], much in the same way that clansmen may wear the tartan of their clan chief. Officially, the tartan is worn by numerous military groups, and a select few civilian groups. The 5th Potters Bar Scout Group wear the scarf officially, with permission from the Queen, and the Queen's Bands (of Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario) wears the tartan as part of their official uniforms.

In the late 1970's the Royal Stewart tartan became popular in punk fashion, possibly because of the influence of Rod Stewart and the Bay City Rollers. The tartan had become well known in motor racing circles a decade earlier, as three-time Formula One World Champion Jackie Stewart used a distinctive band of Royal Stewart tartan around his crash helmet.