It is tartan fit for a Queen but not, it would seem, suitable for commoners. In 1853 Prince Albert designed the Balmoral tartan, which was adopted by Queen Victoria and has been worn by every British monarch since.
Now official documents show that Buckingham Palace had to intervene to prevent commoners from wearing the royal tartan.
The files, which have been kept private for almost 80 years, reveal that the royal family took action to prevent it from being mass-produced.
The palace issued an edict banning anyone from copying, manufacturing or wearing the grey, black and red plaid, which was designed to reflect the hues of Aberdeenshire granite.
A spokeswoman for the royal family confirmed that the ban was still in place. Workers and gamekeepers