London - It may have been their first holiday together as a family of four, but the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were clearly determined to push the boat out.
The first details emerged of the French Alps ski trip enjoyed by William, Kate, Prince George and Princess Charlotte at the luxury Courchevel resort.
They arrived on a private jet owned by the billionaire Duke of Westminster and stayed in a £23 000-a-week chalet (about R480 000). Even the Duchess’s mittens cost £295 and were lined with possum fur, the Mail can reveal.
Details of the four-day jaunt were kept under wraps by the Palace, although a professional photographer took snaps released by Kensington Palace on Monday.
The family flew out on a £5-million Cessna owned by the Duke of Westminster, whose wife Natalia is William’s godmother.
The jet, which would cost £12 000 a day to hire, flew the royals, their close friend James Meade and his wife Lady Laura Marsham – as well as their entourage – to a small airport close to the resort from where they were driven to their chalet on Wednesday. A concierge there said that the matter was a “state secret”.
A photo posted by المسافر-قطر TheTraveler-Qatar (@travel4tourism) on Mar 31, 2015 at 10:29pm PDT
But the family made little attempt to hide. Emily Taylor, 23, from London, saw William and Kate walking just outside a bar on Thursday lunchtime.
She said: “I think George had been in a ski lesson because someone was carrying really baby skis.
“They looked happy and were just walking and talking. A nanny was looking after Charlotte. They were just like a family on holiday but with loads of help.”
Miss Taylor said Kate wore a “chic black ski suit” and the £295 black leather mittens, made by niche British firm alexski. They were bought by her mother Carole Middleton, the Mail can reveal.
The firm’s owner Alexandra Bennett, 51, said she “couldn’t be prouder” to see Kate in them. And she insisted that the use of possum fur, which she imports from Christchurch, New Zealand, was not cruel. “They are considered vermin out there,” she said. But the use of the marsupial’s skin has been criticised by animal rights group Peta, who said:”If the gloves are indeed made of real fur, we’ll be contacting Kate, who we imagine is unaware that possums killed for their fur are often caught in bone-crushing traps.
“Animals who are not killed outright by these devices can endure horrific injuries and languish for days before eventually dying of hunger, thirst or blood loss.
“Some trapped animals, especially mothers desperate to return to their young, chew through their limbs in a frantic attempt to escape. Since so many humane, warm and fashionable fabrics are readily available, there’s no need to wear fur – possum or otherwise.”
Daily Mail