World's most influencial sisters
The Duchess of Cambridge and her sister, Pippa Middleton, have been included in Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world. The Duke of Cambridge does not get a mention
IT WAS one of the key moments of the Royal wedding. Kate Middleton entering Westminster Abbey assisted by her sister Pippa, while Sarah Burton, who designed her dress, ensured the gown was sitting perfectly.
Now all three women have been include on Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
They join President Barack Obama, Tim Cook, the chief executive of the technology company Apple, and Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Duke of Cambridge and the rest of the Royal family do not get a mention.
David Cameron and the footballer David Beckham, who have featured in previous years, failed to make it. Burton’s citation, written by the actress Sarah Jessica Parker, said the Alexander Mcqueen designer “did the undoable” by creating a dress that lived up to an “impossible dream”.
The Middleton sisters were described as “avatars of aspiration”. In the Duchess’s case for her rise from commoner to royalty, and for Miss Middleton being “globally recognised, especially from behind”.
There was just a handful of British entries on the list which was notable for the absence of politicians and the predominance of women.
The Grammy award winning singer Adele and the actress Tilda Swinton, who starred in We Need To Talk About Kevin, were among the other British representatives.
EL James, the British author of the bestseller Fifty Shades of Grey, was also included.
Before releasing the full list, Time carried out an online poll, allowing readers to vote for a wider range of candidates, which included Julian Fellowes, the creator of Downton Abbey, Benedict Cumber- batch who played Sherlock Holmes in the BBC One series, and the golfer Rory Mcilroy. The hacking group Anonymous, which polled the highest, was included on the final list.
Catherine Mayer, Europe editor of Time, who was part of the team of editors to decide on the top 100, said: “It says a lot about the state of current politics that there are no British politicians.” She said one of her nominations had been Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond but she had agreed with the decision not to include him.
“The proportion of women to men has risen this year and that is as a result of a deliberate editorial policy,” Ms Mayer said.
“The Middleton sisters are jointly on the list and the thinking behind that is that they have gone from obscurity to being among the most pictured women in the world.
“They say almost nothing, so what we are talking about here is a particular kind of influence. It is an influence through imagery but in the world we live in, it’s incredibly potent.”
A spokesman for the Duchess of Cambridge declined to comment. Þarthur de Soultrait, a French viscount and fashion designer, said yesterday that he had apologised to Pippa Middleton after a gun was pointed at paparazzi from a car driving the Duchess of Cambridge’s sister around Paris last weekend.
He said the gun was a toy and the incident was a joke gone wrong.