The Cambridge children played a very important role in shortlisting Kate Middleton's birthday portraits

Kate Middleton is one of the most talked-about women in the world, with her fashion influence turning small businesses into sell-out brands and her hairstyle changes sparking trends of their own.

And this past few years we have only seen more of the Duchess, with her role elevated.

This was no exception this week, as the Palace released new official portraits to mark Kate Middleton's 40th birthday.

The trio of photographs show Kate Middleton in a more regal light than ever before, with fans comparing them to past photographs of Queen Elizabeth II and Queen Victoria.

Paolo Roversi opened up about the shoot recently, explaining how lovely Kate was to work with and recalling how she danced during the shoot.

It was the Cambridge children that made the most headlines surrounding the photographs, with it reported that George, Charlotte and Louis joined Prince William to help shortlist the photographs of Kate.

Their reported top choice was the final of the three portraits, a black and white snap of the Duchess smiling at the camera. And the public certainly seemed to agree, with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's Instagram account inundated with positive messages.

'Now that is a future Queen,' commented one fan, while another posted: 'We are witnessing history in the making'.

'The Duchess will be one for the ages... truly a queen to come,' one added, while another wrote: 'One word only: QUEEN!'

Well this is lovely.