Duchess of Cambridge takes to the slopes wearing ultra-luxurious mittens lined in POSSUM fur

Lined with possum, a rather adorable looking Australasian marsupial, they are said to be among the most exclusive ski mittens in the world. And costing an eye-watering £295 a pair, it’s little wonder they are. Made by niche British firm alexski, the black leather mittens sported by the Duchess of Cambridge on her family holiday to the French Alps were bought for her by her mother Carole Middleton as a gift. Indeed, Mrs Middleton was so enamoured of her purchase that she bought a matching pair in red for her other daughter, Pippa, also a keen skier.

The firm’s owner, Alexandra Bennett, couldn’t hide her delight yesterday when she saw Kate had been photographed in one of her products. She insisted that the use of possum fur, which she imports from Christchurch, New Zealand, and arrives in bales of raw, tanned skins, is not as cruel as it might sound. ‘They are considered vermin out there,’ she said.

Possums are a small to medium-sized marsupial which were introduced to New Zealand in the mid-1800s by European settlers in an attempt to establish a fur industry. With no native predators, its numbers have risen to levels where it is considered a serious pest. Attempts to eradicate them have reduced numbers by half to around 30 million animals and since 1996 fur from wild-caught possum has been used in clothing. MORE >>>