Fashion magazines around the globe are clamouring for the ‘Dutchess Effect’: that shot of profile and sales when Kate Middleton decides to wear something. But the newest member of the British royal family has declined many high-profile magazine covers, including the American edition of Vogue magazine.

Yet as the Afrikaans saying goes, you make a plan and Marie Claire South Africa did exactly that with its August issue. Middleton features prominently on the cover, even though the duchess never consented or participated. Instead it is, according to the magazine’s editor, a ‘fan art’ tribute to the royal.

“We were so inspired by her fairytale wedding and her life as a modern-day princess, which is why we elected Kate Middleton as our cover star for the August issue,” Marie Claire editor Aspasia Karras told The Telegraph. “The cover is actually a hyper-real illustration of Kate, meant to be a fan art tribute to fashion’s new royal icon.”

The cover says as much – sort of – with an asterisk pointing to a smaller message at the bottom of the page. But the photo, along with several more inside that see Middleton ‘wear’ locally-designed pieces, is very realistic and has raised eyebrows across the fashion and magazine industries, not to mention Marie Claire’s own readers. Some have complained and called it creepy, while others don’t see what the fuss is about.

The ultimate say, though, lie with the notoriously litigious royals, who have yet to issue a statement.

By James Francis