In official documents, the gift given to the Duchess of Cambridge was recorded simply as a ‘brooch’. In reality, the specially commissioned piece by Hollywood jeweller Harry Winston was a lavish design made from platinum, studded with 302 diamonds and crafted into the shape of a polar bear. Clarence House has been accused of hiding the true value of gifts given to Kate during the course of her public duties by releasing only the most basic details. Listings of the items received by Kate, as well as her husband William, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, contain only very modest descriptions. During Kate and William’s inaugural foreign tour of Canada and the U.S. in July, the Duchess received more than 150 official gifts on behalf of the Queen from dignitaries and members of the public. Kate and William were given a gift each by the premier of the Northwest Territories while visiting the town of Yellowknife. These trinkets were modestly listed by the couple’s office as ‘brooch’ and ‘pair of cufflinks’. But both were made from platinum, studded with diamond pave and specially commissioned from world-renowned jeweller Harry Winston, a favourite of A-list stars. The brand lends £130million of jewellery to Hollywood celebrities every year to be worn on red carpets around the globe. So prestigious is the brand among the wealthy that it is namechecked by Marilyn Monroe in the song Diamonds 
Are A Girl’s Best Friend. In 1999, Gwyneth Paltrow wore a custom-designed necklace when she accepted her Best Actress Oscar for Shakespeare In Love. And even Elizabeth Taylor, known for her collection of fabulous jewellery, borrowed and wore its jewels. In fact, Harry Winston cut the magnificent 69-carat Taylor-Burton diamond, so called because it was given to Miss Taylor by Richard Burton as a token of his love in the late 1960s. According to the firm’s chairman, Robert Gannicott, it took their best craftsmen 250 hours to make the royal gifts. 'These convey the wealth of respect and affection that we hold for the royal couple,’ premier Floyd K. Roland said as he handed over the gems. The items together included a total of 692 diamonds – 302 for Kate and 390 for William. However, Clarence House insisted that it was ‘inappropriate to highlight whether a gift was valuable’. It said: ‘It is not appropriate for us to estimate a financial value on these gifts or specify details which indicate a gift is especially valuable relative to others. It would be discourteous to do so, because it is the gift itself which is important, not its value.’ The stance makes it impossible, however, to ascertain whether the couple returned from their first official tour on behalf of the Queen with any gifts of high value from persons of interest. According to the list, released yesterday, other items received by Kate from unnamed sources included at least two necklaces, several pairs of earrings, a ‘wooden heart box with charm bracelet and a dragonfly brooch. Smaller items, such as two hand-knitted woollen scarves, a pair of cowboy boots and two decorated salad servers, are also listed. But the list does not include any of her wedding presents, many of which were lavish. These included the diamond and ruby necklace from an unnamed admirer which she wore at a recent military awards ceremony at the Imperial War Museum in London. The Duchess of Cornwall received what is listed only as a ‘bracelet’ from the Royal Family of Morocco during her visit there in April last year, while Charles was given ‘a fountain pen’. Last week the Mail revealed that the Countess of Wessex had accepted jewels from the controversial ruling family of Bahrain on a visit last month. The principle governing gifts is that no item should be accepted which would, or might appear to, place them ‘under any obligation to the donor’.
Are A Girl’s Best Friend. In 1999, Gwyneth Paltrow wore a custom-designed necklace when she accepted her Best Actress Oscar for Shakespeare In Love. And even Elizabeth Taylor, known for her collection of fabulous jewellery, borrowed and wore its jewels. In fact, Harry Winston cut the magnificent 69-carat Taylor-Burton diamond, so called because it was given to Miss Taylor by Richard Burton as a token of his love in the late 1960s. According to the firm’s chairman, Robert Gannicott, it took their best craftsmen 250 hours to make the royal gifts. 'These convey the wealth of respect and affection that we hold for the royal couple,’ premier Floyd K. Roland said as he handed over the gems. The items together included a total of 692 diamonds – 302 for Kate and 390 for William. However, Clarence House insisted that it was ‘inappropriate to highlight whether a gift was valuable’. It said: ‘It is not appropriate for us to estimate a financial value on these gifts or specify details which indicate a gift is especially valuable relative to others. It would be discourteous to do so, because it is the gift itself which is important, not its value.’ The stance makes it impossible, however, to ascertain whether the couple returned from their first official tour on behalf of the Queen with any gifts of high value from persons of interest. According to the list, released yesterday, other items received by Kate from unnamed sources included at least two necklaces, several pairs of earrings, a ‘wooden heart box with charm bracelet and a dragonfly brooch. Smaller items, such as two hand-knitted woollen scarves, a pair of cowboy boots and two decorated salad servers, are also listed. But the list does not include any of her wedding presents, many of which were lavish. These included the diamond and ruby necklace from an unnamed admirer which she wore at a recent military awards ceremony at the Imperial War Museum in London. The Duchess of Cornwall received what is listed only as a ‘bracelet’ from the Royal Family of Morocco during her visit there in April last year, while Charles was given ‘a fountain pen’. Last week the Mail revealed that the Countess of Wessex had accepted jewels from the controversial ruling family of Bahrain on a visit last month. The principle governing gifts is that no item should be accepted which would, or might appear to, place them ‘under any obligation to the donor’.