Wearing gloves on a daily basis outside of winter is not something most of us are wont to do. At least, it wasn’t until we found ourselves in the middle of a viral pandemic. Now lots of folks are sporting gloves in an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19. And starting today, you can do so in a pair approved by Her Majesty, the Queen of England. (Don’t you wish you could say the same of the rest of your wardrobe?)
Queen Elizabeth wears either black or white gloves for nearly every public event she attends, and has done so for decades. Her favorite brand is apparently Cornelia James (she’s been wearing them since her honeymoon in 1947), who incidentally just released a pair of antiviral gloves that look no different from the simple, elegant designs the Queen is so fond of. The only difference is that these Swiss cotton-jersey pairs have incorporated HeiQ Viroblock, a fabric and textile treatment that inhibits the growth of bacteria and viruses, to offer further protection against coronavirus.
The gloves also come with built-in UPF 50+, are touch-screen friendly (so the Queen can easily FaceTime with Harry and Megan to see how they’re doing in L.A.) and are machine-washable. Unfortunately, all that technology and the royal seal of approval doesn’t come cheap with each pair priced at $121. On the other hand, investing in a reusable set rather than buying and tossing Latex gloves over and over again might just be better for your wallet and is definitely better for the environment.
Of course, Her Majesty’s glove-wearing habit isn’t anything new, although it does have something to do with COVID-19 (indirectly). What likely began as simply following the trend of the day (women frequently wore gloves throughout the ‘50s and ‘60s), has continued well past the decline of day and evening glove use, mostly as a protection against germs. Yes, the queen’s antiviral and antibacterial efforts have been in full swing for well over 50 years. She often shakes hands with countless individuals while out and about, so it makes sense that all that human contact might inevitably lead to coming down with something, whether that be the common cold or worse.
