Often described as fashion royalty, the editors of the country's most influential fashion magazines had to concede the title on Thursday when they came face-to-face with the Duchess of Cambridge.
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Vogue Australia editor, Edwina McCann, Harper's Bazaar editor Kellie Hush and Australian Women's Weekly editor Helen McCabe all attended the Parliament House reception on the final full day of the royal couple's 10-day Australian tour.
It was as much a thrill for the three editors to see Kate stride into the Great Hall as it was for the throngs outside, and they all agreed she had become the biggest fashion influence in the world.
While it was ever so slightly disappointing Kate did not use her two-hour break between the arboretum and the parliamentary reception to don another new outfit, her Catherine Walker emerald coat dress looked beautiful against the marble of the foyer. It was also a meaningful choice - Catherine Walker was the favourite designer of her husband's late mother.
McCann said Kate had managed to straddle the line between wearing high-end and inaccessible fashion and wearing pieces that appealed to the masses.
''She absolutely drives retail. It is all very well for us to choose something amazing for a magazine cover but we are not doing so much to support business in that sense.'' Kate, on the other hand, can sell out a dress within minutes of the first picture hitting the internet.
Hush agreed that Kate's clever mixing of designers like Alexander McQueen with Zara and Zimmermann meant ordinary women - of all ages - related to her and were able to emulate her style.
The editors were even OK with Kate's off-duty choice of a pair of jeans teamed with runners, snapped while she was outside Government House on Tuesday playing with her son.
''You know, she is off duty and just like other young mums who need to be able to bend down and play with their children, I love that she is like that,'' Hush said.
McCann said Kate had a sporty style. ''She is much less formal than the other royals, and she looks great no matter what.''
Meanwhile, as the editor of the magazine which has provided saturation coverage of the royal visit, McCabe has had to settle on the front cover for her May 1 Australian Women's Weekly special royal tour edition. She admitted it had been a mammoth task: ''I was much less nervous about choosing the wedding cover. This has to be an iconic image, and it really is.''
While McCabe has given a sneak peak to Buckingham Palace, the rest of us will have to wait. But it is sure to sell off the newsstands.
''The affection our country has for this couple is enormous and it is not going to go away.''
McCabe described her magazine and online news circulation as ''astonishing'' when it came to anything about Kate and William.
''I could put the cover photo on upside down and it would still go crazy. These two can do no wrong.''
