Balmoral bonnet The Balmoral ( more fully the Balmoral bonnet in Scottish English or Balmoral cap otherwise , and formerly called the Kilmarnock bonnet ) is a traditional Scottish hat that can be worn as part of formal or informal Highland dress . Dating back to at least the 16th century , it takes the form of a knitted , soft wool cap with a flat crown . It is named after Balmoral Castle , a royal residence in Scotland . It is an alternative to the similar and related ( informal ) Tam o ' Shanter cap and the ( formal or informal ) Glengarry bonnet . Design . Originally with a voluminous crown , today the bonnet is smaller , made of finer cloth , and tends to be dark blue , black , or lovat green . Ribbons in , or attached to the back of , the band ( originally used to secure the bonnet tightly ) are sometimes worn hanging from the back of the cap . A regimental or clan badge is worn on the left - hand side , affixed to a silk or grosgrain ribbon cockade ( usually black , white or red ) , with the bonnet usually worn tilted to the right to display this emblem . The centre of the crown features a toorie , traditionally red . Some versions have a diced band ( usually red and white check ) around the circumference of the lower edge . History . As worn by Scottish Highland regiments the " blue bonnet " Tam o ' Shanter gradually developed into a stiffened felt cylinder , often decorated with an ostrich plume hackle sweeping over the crown from left to right ( as well as flashes of bearskin or painted turkey hackles ) . In the 19th century this tall cap evolved into the extravagant full dress feather bonnet while , as an undress cap , the plainer form continued in use until the mid - 19th century . By then known as the Kilmarnock bonnet , it was officially replaced by the Glengarry bonnet , which had been in use unofficially since the late eighteenth century and was essentially a folding version of the cylindrical military cap . The name " Balmoral " as applied to this traditional headdress appears to date from the late 19th century and in 1903 a blue bonnet in traditional style but with a stiffened crown was adopted briefly by some Lowland regiments as full dress headgear . After the Second World War , while all other Scottish regiments chose the Glengarry , a soft blue Balmoral was adopted as full dress headgear by the Black Watch ( Royal Highland Regiment ) and was worn with the green no . 1 dress jacket and with khaki no . 2 or service dress . As part of the amalgamation of the Scottish regiments in 2006 , the military Balmoral was done away with and all battalions of the Royal Regiment of Scotland now wear the Glengarry . Use of the Balmoral has been championed by songwriter Richard Thompson , who uses it on stage , in addition to its traditional place in Highland dress . North American usage . Several Canadian regiments , including the Queen ' s Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada , and the Stormont Dundas & Glengarry Highlanders from Cornwall , Ontario , wear the Balmoral , and it has been recorded as being worn unofficially by Confederate soldiers in the American Civil War . Other usage . Balmoral is widely used as a part of a uniform in Army Cadets and pipe band . It is also used as an element of formal highland dress .