Global interest in the Duchess of Cambridge and the death of Alexander McQueen appear to have increased London’s fashion profile.

According to a survey by Global Language Monitor, London has now overtaken New York as the world’s fashion capital for 2011. The Texas-based trend analyser tracks the frequency of words and phrases across print, electronic and social media.

The city has experienced a significant increase in media interest, and it is speculated that this was fuelled by the suicide of British designer, Alexander McQueen, and also the interest in Kate Middleton following her wedding to Prince William in April this year.

She is now considered as a global fashion icon, and is even featured on Vanity Fair’s 72^nd Annual Best-Dressed list. She is continuously praised for her signature style – a mix of higher and lower end fashion, which was brought to the media’s attention during her first royal trip across Canada and North America.

Alexander McQueen still continues to steal the headlines over a year after his tragic death, as a retrospective exhibition of his work in New York is ranked as one of the 10 most visited exhibitions in the Metropolitan Museum’s 141-year history. There has also been a strong public opinion that the exhibition should be brought to London – McQueen’s home and inspiration.

Of course, these two popular public figures were also united when Kate’s eagerly-anticipated wedding dress was designed by Sarah Burton – McQueen’s right-hand woman and the brand’s head designer after his death. The dress also proved to be Buckingham Palace’s main attraction since opening to the public last month.

Global Language Monitor acknowledge the impact that two media stars can have on global ranking, as their numbers demonstrated that it was Kate and McQueen’s media presence that shifted the spotlight over to London as Fashion capital.

With New York bumped to second place, Paris now ranks 3^rd on the list and is followed by Milan and Los Angeles. Berlin and Singapore also broke into the top 10 for the first time since the survey began 8 years ago.