The Duchess of Cambridge beats the Duchess of Sussex to top royal style influencer
In a surprise turn of events, the Duchess of Cambridge has pipped the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, in claiming this year's title of top royal style influencer.
The mother-of-three had the biggest impact on shopping habits, according to eBay's annual UK Retail Report, despite her sister-in-law's fashion dominating our social media feeds and magazine covers since becoming a royal in May.
The Evening Standard reports Catherine's maternity style while pregnant with Prince Louis - who was born on 23 April - resulted in more online searches on eBay than any other royal over the past year.
According to the results, searches for tailored maternity coats more than tripled in November 2017, while Kate was expecting her third child.
Meanwhile, in April, searches for designer Jenny Packham more than doubled when Kate appeared outside the Lindo Wing in a red Packham smock dress for Prince Louis's first royal appearance.
BUY NOW Dorothy Perkins Red Lace Collar Mini Skater Dress, £15
Throughout the year, the Duchess' favourite designers including Jenny Packham, Alexander McQueen and Seraphine saw a 20 per cent upsurge in searches year-on-year, with as many as 43 searches every hour.
During her third pregnancy, Kate was photographed in an array of designers from Catherine Walker, JoJo Maman Bébé, Orla Kiely, Dolce & Gabbana, and Burberry.
BUY NOW Burberry oversized double-breasted wool and cashmere-blend coat, £1,890
However, Meghan followed close behind her sister-in-law in second place.
Following her royal wedding in May, which saw her hit international headlines dressed in a bateau-neck Givenchy dress designed by the label's creative director Claire Waight Keller, searches for the designer saw a 60 per cent increased, hitting 55 an hour.
In addition, the 37-year-old's Stella McCartney halter-neck wedding dress doubled searches for the British brown, while the peach off-the-shoulder Carolina Herrera number she wore to the Trooping the Colour in June resulted in searches for the Venezuelan designer to almost double.
BUY NOW Galvan Palm Beach ribbed jersey halterneck gown, £1,395
Some of our favourite Markle style choices have included her recent Juliet & Charles black tuxedo dress to a Hamilton performance, the sophisticated Club Monaco black dress to a friend's wedding and a V-neckline denim midi dress by Carolina Herrera to the polo earlier this summer.
Rob Hattrell, UK vice president of eBay, said: "While Meghan was clearly the focus of the fashion pages this year, Kate's distinctive style has long been a hit with shoppers on eBay since her wedding in 2011.
BUY NOW Warehouse V-neck belted midi dress, £45
"We always see an uptick in searches around landmark royal events and 2018 was a bumper year for small businesses on eBay, with both the birth of Prince Louis and Meghan and Harry's wedding driving purchases across the nation."
Princess Charlotte, who topped the list in 2017, came third. eBay reports the floral crown she wore as a bridesmaid to her uncle and aunt's wedding in May resulted in a 60 per cent increase in searches for similar products on eBay.
There was also almost a 40 per cent jump in searches for floral print dresses after she was photographed playing in one to the polo in June with her brother Prince George. Charlotte's older brother George was beat his royal male counterparts when it came to the fashion stakes, nabbing fourth place on the list.
BUY NOW Khaite Charlotte cotton-gabardine trench coat, £1,455
The five-year-old's love for Peter Pan collar shirts resulted in a 30 per cent spike in searches for similar outfits on eBay after he appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony in June.
George's grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, made it into the top five royal style influencers due, in large, to her love of brooches.
BUY NOW Saint Laurent gold-tone brooch, £255
The retailer reports as many as 16 brooches are sold every minute on eBay, with an almost 20 per cent increase in searches in February after she wore the Cullinan V Heart Brooch on the front row at London Fashion Week.
('You Might Also Like',)
