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Hilary Mantel books get sales boost after Kate Middleton slam

Hilary Mantel’s novels have climbed the UK Amazon book charts following her perceived attack on Kate Middleton.

The Booker Prize-winning author drew backlash in the British press after she called the Duchess a “shop-window mannequin” devoid of personality. The remarks were even condemned by Prime Minister David Cameron.

However, all this negative attention does have an upside: sales of Mantel’s books are soaring.

On Amazon UK’s historical fiction chart, Mantel’s “Wolf Hall” and “Bring Up The Bodies” are at numbers two and four, with the e-book version of “Wolf Hall” at number three, according to The Bookseller, a British publication that reports on the publishing industry.

“In e-book sales, we noticed around 100% increase in sales of ‘Wolf Hall’ yesterday (Feb. 19) as compared to the day before,” Minna Fry, associate publisher at Fourth Estate, told the magazine. “We’re pleased that many people are still keen to see what Hilary has to say and have not been put off by the negative press attention.”

The Post reported that Mantel’s now-controversial lecture was given at the British Museum two weeks ago. The details of the talk surfaced yesterday, coinciding with debut of Middleton’s baby bump at a London charity event.

Mantel criticized everything from the princess’ “dead eyes” in her official royal portrait to her “plastic smile.”

“Kate seems to have been selected for her role of princess because she was irreproachable: as painfully thin as anyone could wish, without quirks, without oddities, without the risk of the emergence of character,” said Mantel.

The author even unfavorably compared the four-months-pregnant Middleton to the late Princess Diana, saying both were just royal breeders.

“When it was announced that Diana was to join the royal family, the Duke of Edinburgh is said to have given her his approval because she would ‘breed in some height,’” Mantel said.

“Presumably Kate was designed to breed in some manners. She looks like a nicely brought-up young lady, with ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ part of her vocabulary.”

Middleton’s celebrated pregnancy had turned her from a “jointed doll on which certain rags are hung” to a woman whose “only point and purpose” was to produce a royal heir, according to Mantel.

“She appears precision-made, machine-made, so different from Diana whose human awkwardness and emotional incontinence showed in her every gesture,” Mantel told the intellectual crowd.

British Prime Minister David Cameron responded to Mantel’s remarks, saying, “What I’ve seen of Kate Middleton . . . is that this is someone who is bright, who is engaging, who is a fantastic ambassador of Great Britain.”

The London Review of Books tried to defend Mantel, saying she was merely criticizing the media’s portrayal of Middleton.