Mantel’s article in the London Review of Books looks into the shallow way the Duchess of Cambridge is perceived and the Daily Mail have seized on key phrases, such as “a jointed doll on which rags are hung” which have caused widespread offence.

Mantel also said that Middleton’s public image “appeared to have been designed by a committee and built by craftsmen, with a perfect plastic smile and the spindles of her limbs hand-turned and gloss-varnished”. 

While Mantel clearly doesn’t consider Middleton blameless in playing along with the press’s portrayal of her, she does seem broadly sympathetic to her unique situation and pressures.

Admittedly, she wasn’t particularly complimentary about the Middleton either, having a pop at her appearance more than once: ‘painfully thin’ with ‘spindles’ for limbs, which seems to be little better than the coverage she was railing against.

Perhaps she should take her own advice from the article: “Cheerful curiosity can easily become cruelty…I’m not asking for censorship.

“I’m not asking for pious humbug and smarmy reverence. I’m asking us to back off and not be brutes”

Bizarrely PM David Cameron even waded into the furore saying that Mantel “writes great books” but “what she’s said about Kate Middleton is completely misguided”.

“What I’ve seen of Princess Kate at public events, at the Olympics and elsewhere is this is someone who’s bright, who’s engaging, who’s a fantastic ambassador for Britain.

Cameron concluded what many have said to be misguided remarks by saying: “We should be proud of that, rather than make these rather misguided remarks.” 

Image via Getty