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Royal Trickery or Tribute? Kate Middleton Latest Photoshop Victim

by Bruna Nessif Mon., Jul. 16, 2012 10:15 PM PDT

Marie Claire

How the heck did Marie Claire South Africa snag Kate Middleton for the cover of their magazine?!

Um, they didn't.

Yes friends, you read that correctly, that is not the Duchess of Cambridge posing, but instead, the fantastic (kinda) work of idle hands and Photoshop.

READ: Kate Middleton Goes Glamping: The Photo the Palace Does Want You to See

Which clearly explains the eclectic wardrobe choice that raised our eyebrows (it's not really Kate's steez).

Marie Claire's art department took Middleton's head and hands and plastered it onto a fashion model's body, and they're not shy about what they did. In fact, they're highlighting it as a "tribute."

"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," editor, Aspasia Karras tells 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."

What do you think of this "hyper-real illustration" of the royal? Sound off in the comments!

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