Gift listed by officials as a simple 'brooch' is actually designer platinum with 302 stones

Gift listed by officials as a simple 'brooch' is actually designer platinum with 302 stones - 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.

Hollywood favourite: Kate and William receiving their Harry Winston jewels in July

The platinum and diamond pave cufflinks in the shape of the Northwest Territories polar bear logo gifted to Prince William

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 Duchess of Cambridge wearing a diamond and ruby necklace she received as a wedding gift

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.’

Kate and William were given a gift each by the premier of the Northwest Territories while visiting the town of Yellowknife. The pair are pictured above while arriving for an official welcome ceremony at the Somba K'e Civic Plaza in the Canadian town

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’.

HATS OFF TO WILLS AND KATE! TITFERS ARE TOP GIFT FOR ROYAL GUESTS

Much is made of the jewels and curiosities handed to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on their Canadian trip.

But among those valuable and unusual gifts was an unusual anomaly: the prevalence of a multitude of headgear.

The royal couple were presented with no fewer than 20 different hats during their first joint overseas trip.

From the multiple cowboy hats bestowed upon them - one pair in Calgary, which the two wore to the rodeo - to all-American baseball caps (William was given three to add to his burgeoning collection), and even glamorous fascinators for Kate - one in tartan and one in peacock.

Kate also received a blue hat from a Canadian minister, and keen pilot William was given a flying helmet by 12 Wing Shearwater of the Royal Canadian Air Force.

Hats have proved a popular gift elsewhere too, with Prince William being presented with two sets of baseball caps while travelling throughout New Zealand, and a traditional Akubra hat from dignitaries in Australia.

Even Prince Charles was given a hat - he is now the proud owner of a trilby.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge wear their complimentary Stetson hats as they view the start of the Calgary Stampede parade in western Canada last July ( dailymail.co.uk )