Clever Kate Middleton shows how to fake it at the Diamond Jubilee

Thrifty Duchess: Kate Middleton wears the earrings in question at Tuesday's Diamond Jubilee celebrations©Tim Rooke/Rex Features

Kate Middleton is becoming as well known for her thrifty nature as she is for her natural elegance and style, and the Duchess pulled it off again during the Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

The Duchess of Cambridge turned heads as she appeared during Tuesday’s ceremonial day in a beautiful lace Alexander McQueen dress, which perfectly accentuated her slender frame and complemented her brunette locks and lightly tanned skin.

The Royal teamed up the dress with her trusty nude shoes and a hat by Jane Taylor, keeping her hair simple in a half-up do. She completed the look with a pair of what appeared to be stunning pearl and diamond earrings.

But the Duchess had a little secret; her earrings weren’t family heirlooms, or expensive one-off pieces – they were in fact a ‘copy’ made in cubic zirconia, designed by Belinda Hadden of Heavenly Necklaces, which specialises in ‘fabulous fakes’, the Daily Mail reports. And they cost just £48 - not the thousands of pounds they looked worth.

The designer said she was astounded when she realised Kate was wearing a pair. Speaking to the paper, she said: “I was at a wedding, so I had no idea Kate had worn my earrings until another client sent me an email asking: ‘Are they the same as mine?’.”

She added: "Within the next 24 hours, I had sold out. I sold 60 on my website, which is the amount I would usually sell in a whole year."

It’s not the first time the Duchess has displayed her thrifty nature. She is well known for recycling her outfits, which is said to please the Queen immensely, who is appreciative of Kate’s refusal to “spend, spend, spend”.

She is also very accomplished at combining high end designer pieces with high street options as she displayed at the Diamond Jubilee Concert, where she wore a Whistles dress teamed up with an Alexander McQueen blazer.

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