Navy allows officers to wear saris in diverse overhaul of uniform policy
Officers are now permitted to wear 'cultural dress' beneath their mess jackets on formal occasions after lobbying by the service's 'race diversity network'.
But the change was criticised by former senior officers, who said 'cultural identity' should not be 'mixed with uniform'.
Regulations for mess dress had previously required all officers to pair their uniform jackets with trousers, a tartan kilt or a skirt. But they will now be able to celebrate their heritage by wearing items such as a sari alongside their jacket, shirt and bow tie.
Lance Cpl Jack Kanani, the chairman of the Royal Navy race diversity network, praised the update to the dress code saying that it would be 'inclusive of other British cultures'.
He said: 'The network canvassed opinions from ethnic minority service personnel to understand how widening existing policy on cultural mess dress would make them feel able to celebrate both their Royal Navy and cultural heritage.
'Existing policy already allowed for Scottish, Irish, Welsh, Cornish and Manx heritage to be represented through the wearing of kilts and tartan dresses. The update in policy now widens that to be inclusive of other British cultures that serve within the Royal Navy.'
Lance Cpl Kanani, a non-commissioned officer in the Royal Marines, published a photo announcing the news in which Hon Capt Durdana Ansari, a former BBC World Service journalist, wore a white sari beneath a mess jacket, with a white shirt and bow tie.
He said Capt Ansari was wearing clothing that 'is now within policy' but that 'all others wearing mess jackets in the photo are not'.
It is understood that the photograph, shared on LinkedIn, was taken at an initial trial before the policy was decided, with civilians also pictured. Navy sources stressed that it 'is not representative of the updated mess dress policy' and that not all those pictured wearing a mess jacket were in line with the new regulations.
The source confirmed that previous mess rules remain in force above the waist, meaning officers are required to match any 'cultural' attire with a mess jacket, shirt and bow tie.
Rear Adml Philip Mathias, a retired former nuclear submarine commanding officer, told The Telegraph that the Royal Navy had 'exposed itself to ridicule' by introducing the changes.
'Apart from those who are diversity, equality [sic] and inclusion (DEI) fanatics, I suspect this image will shock many members of the public given the diminished state of the Navy,' he said.
'Its entire focus should be on maintaining its warfighting capability in an increasingly dangerous world. The whole point of uniform in a disciplined fighting service – even in a social setting – is to achieve a sense of common identity, not to accentuate differences.
'If members of the Armed Forces want to wear civilian clothing that represents their cultural identity, they should of course be encouraged to do so whenever possible. But it should not be mixed with uniform.
'The trouble with DEI fanatics is they have an unshakeable belief that they are always right. But you don't need to be a 'DEI believer' to know that treating everyone equally and fairly is always the right thing to do.'
The move comes as DEI policies increasingly come under fire, including in the United States where Donald Trump has signed a series of executive orders banning the schemes in federal institutions and agencies, including the military.
Dress codes in the British Armed Forces have been relaxed in recent years. In March last year, the Army changed its rules to allow soldiers to grow beards.
The latest rule change was welcomed by Rear Adml Robert Pedre, who as commander of the United Kingdom Strike Force holds the Navy's highest seagoing command, who congratulated Lance Cpl Kanani for his work.
Tom Sharpe, a retired Royal Navy commander, said: 'All services, and their sub-divisions, have had variations of uniforms since uniforms began – the word itself has always been a slight misnomer really.
'On the one hand, you want to recruit and retain as many high-quality people as possible, on the other, uniformity is often considered a key component of fighting cohesion. This creates a tension. I was strict on uniform at sea, I thought it was an important part of the whole business. At a mess dinner though, does it matter as much?'
The last change to the Navy's mess dress regulations was in 1996 when officers were permitted to wear tartan kilts or skirts.
The Navy said at the time that tartan was 'harmless, colourful and supported by several very senior officers'. Officers had previously been fined a round of port if they wore kilts in the mess without permission.
A Royal Navy spokesman said: 'Wearing cultural mess dress is an established tradition within the Royal Navy and personnel of Scottish, Irish, Welsh, Cornish and Manx heritage have been permitted to wear a kilt for some years as part of the uniform. We have extended this recently to include other types of cultural dress below the waist.
'We are proud to welcome people from a variety of backgrounds to attract and retain the best people available.'
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People Are Sharing The Dumbest People They've Ever Met
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He said, 'I don't get it. It worked when I did it in the fireplace that one time.' It melted, of course — soup and plastic were everywhere." "I was in the checkout lane at TJ Maxx, and the couple in front of me were looking at last-minute items. The lady said, 'Oooh, Lemon Mint Tea! That sounds delicious.' She then examined the box and howled, 'Made in China?!' The man replied, 'China?! What do the Chinese know about tea?'" "A friend I had in high school burned most of his hair off because he didn't realize that lighting matches and holding them near his head would do that. He wasn't injured, but you'd think he was with the amount of bitching he did about having to shave his head. When asked why he had the matches near his head in the first place, he claimed he was trying to 'hear the fire.'" "I was going to watch Tipping the Velvet with one of my exes, and I was telling her, 'This show is British, it's from the BBC.' She very seriously replied, 'So its gonna have subtitles?'" 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