Toasty hands, Kate? Duchess of Cambridge took to the slopes wearing ultra-luxurious £295 mittens lined in POSSUM fur that her mother gave her as a present

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, MailOnline can reveal.

Present: 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 said: ‘I’ve never sought publicity for my products but I couldn’t be prouder.’

She explained how the gloves are lined with possum fur which makes them twice as warm as mink or fox due to the fact that the hair follicle is hollow.

‘It traps the air in it which keeps the fur at room temperature, whereas other furs can feel quite cold,’ she said.

Family: The Cambridges with Prince George and Princess Charlotte during a skiing holiday in the French Alps

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.

Product: The gloves are lined with possum fur which makes them twice as warm as mink or fox

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.

The use of possum fur has been criticised by animal rights group PETA, however, 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 steel-jaw 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.’

Mrs Bennett, 51, set up her business 15 years ago after taking up skiing and being disappointed by the range of gloves and mittens on offer, and runs the firm from her Hampshire home

No native predators: 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

Her gloves and mittens, she said, are made with 8mm sports English kid leather and sent to be hand-sewn in Milan by three ladies who produce around 500-1,000 a year for her.

‘I’ve never really advertised, my business has always been about word of mouth, and now there’s not a royal family in the world who doesn’t own at least one pair of my gloves. All Kate’s set have them,’ she said.

‘I was contacted by their lovely mother, Carole, two years ago as she wanted to buy a pair each for Kate and Pippa, one in black and one in red. They were a Christmas present for the girls but I’m not sure Kate has had the chance to wear hers before as she has been pregnant ever since.

‘Carole is a lovely, lovely woman, who has been incredibly nice and loyal to me.

‘Obviously I recognised my gloves instantly when I saw the pictures yesterday [Monday] and my phone really hasn’t stopped ringing since.

‘I had one customer calling up from Las Vegas to order a pair [because the Duchess was wearing them].’

Other details emerged yesterday 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.

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 £5million 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 yesterday that the matter was a ‘state secret’.

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.’ 

The gloves can be viewed on the alexski website by clicking here