Their fashion choices are constantly pitted against each other but Kate is beating Meghan in the influence stakes, thanks to her bearing on the maternity wear market.

For the Duchess of Cambridge has taken the crown as this year's top royal style influencer, according to eBay's annual UK Retail Report.

Kate, rather than royal newcomer the Duchess of Sussex, had the biggest impact on shopping habits, it found, with her maternity style while pregnant with Prince Louis ensuring she generated more online searches on eBay than any other royal over the past year.

Searches for tailored maternity coats more than tripled in November 2017, while Kate was expecting her third child, eBay revealed.

And 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 debut.