Duchess of Cambridge in fake fur row

London, Feb 23 (ANI): Duchess Kate is at the centre of an extraordinary spat between animal rights bosses and a disgraced former politician over a photograph of her wearing fake fur.

Prince William's 30-year-old wife was pictured in London earlier this month wearing a coat with a synthetic fur lining, but the photo was seized by officials at the International Fur Trade Federation.

Executives at the organisation posted the image on its Facebook.com page alongside a caption stating the duchess was wearing a "classy fur-lined coat".

However, bosses at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) confirmed with the Royal's office that the garment was fake fur and founder Ingrid Newkirk has fired off a letter to IFTF boss Mark Oaten, who quit as a Member of Parliament in 2006 over a rent boy scandal.

In the letter, Newkirk had threatened legal action if the image was not removed from the social networking website.

"The Duchess' office has confirmed in a letter to PETA that 'Her Royal Highness was not wearing fur. The coat was not lined with fur'. We therefore insist that you remove the photo from your social media page and issue an immediate public retraction of your claim," the Daily Star quoted him Newkirk as saying.

"To state that the Duchess is wearing fur is not only false but offensive... To portray the new Duchess wearing something so blatantly cruel and contrary to her country's values is insulting," Newkirk added. (ANI)