Sisters with influence: Kate & Pippa

When it comes to being some of the most influential people in Europe, the Middleton sister are doing it for themselves.

The Duchess and her sister Pippa, who was recently caught up in a paparazzi gun scandal in Paris, both scored spots in TIME magazine's 100 most influential people list - and were the only members of the royal circle to do so.

In a glowing tribute to the sisters, TIME's Europe Editor Catherine Mayer wrote: "To appreciate the remarkable rise of the siblings whose very name, Middleton, seemed to presage an unremarkable life among their fellow commoners, you must first appreciate the forces that keep most Britons in their place.

"Snobbery is one luxury all classes feel able to afford. The man and woman in the UK street are swift to mock the upwardly mobile.

"As Prince William whispered sweet nothings to his girlfriend, the press muttered nasty somethings about her supposed ambition to wed above her station. They dubbed her Waitie Katie and bracketed her with Pippa as 'the wisteria sisters,' determined to climb.

"Since Kate, 30, successfully scaled the palace walls, Pippa, 28, now globally recognised, especially from behind, has found herself under yet greater pressure.

"The Middletons have become avatars of aspiration. Other women aim to dress like them, to emulate their easy athleticism and their more problematic slenderness."

Mayer also praised Catherine and Pippa for their "class", adding: "How do the sisters feel about their influence? They aren't saying.

"Latter-day Mona Lisas, they smile mysteriously and keep their mouths closed. In an age of bleating, tweeting, confessional celebrity, the middle-class Middletons show real class."