In an international poll rating the style of royals conducted by a UK company this June, a whopping 68% of voters named Princess Mary the most stylish royal. That the Tasmanian-born, 42-year-old Princess -- who captured the heart of Denmark’s heir to the throne, Prince Frederick, back in 2000 during his under-the-radar visit to the Sydney Olympics -- has evolved into a fashion maven is undeniable.

That she came in above the Duchess of Cambridge is unsurprising. In fact, it was fashion legend Karl Lagerfeld who, back in 2011 when commenting on Princess Mary’s flawless appearance, suggested Princess Kate take a few style tips from her older and clearly more experienced comrade.

But Princess Mary wasn’t always a princess, and she wasn’t always this stylish. Before Frederick and all that life as a royal affords, Mary – who was working in management at a real estate firm – was more Bondi Junction corporate meets Sporty-Spice.

But fast forward more than a decade, not too mention four kids later, and Mary’s look can be described as urban chic: tailored pant suits; elegant ankle length pants worn with a stiletto; above-the-knee floral dresses and silks. She often works a 1960s silhouette for day, but for evening she’s fond the one-shoulder look.

While she’s required to support Danish designers in her public outings, Danish royal protocol being slightly more lax than its English counterpart, Mary has been able to sneak many an international designer into the mix. She favours international runway sensations such as Mui Mui, Fendi, Alexander McQueen, Philosophy Di Alberta Ferretti, Max Mara, Hugo Boss and Louis Vuitton. For shoes her go-to label is Gianvitto Rossi, while her bags tend to hail from the likes of Marc Jacobs, Mulberry, Hermes and Prada. If she’s wearing a Danish label it will often be Malene Birger, Old Yde, Signe Bogelund-Jensen or Marianne Dulong for jewels.

Who do you think is the most stylish royal and why?