MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Golden siblings and “Princess Charlotte effect” on the UK economy

Looking into the numbers, Princess Charlotte's impact on the British economy is valued at almost US$ 1.5bn more than Prince George's.

Britain's Prince George, 4, and Princess Charlotte, 3, aren’t literally in a competition, but when it comes to overall influence, Charlotte has an edge—and it has to do with her impact on the British economy. As it turns out, George and Charlotte are making huge financial waves just by being their cute little selves.

 While there's no way to determine the queen's grandkids exact net worth, there is ways of determining the children's influence over U.K. markets, and let's put it this way: Charlotte's got the upper hand.

Looking into the numbers, there's an immediate and shocking revelation: Princess Charlotte's impact on the British economy is valued at almost a billion and a half dollars more than Prince George's.

Reader's Digest estimates that Charlotte is worth US$ 5 billion, while her older brother is worth US$ 3.6 billion.

Not bad for a little sis. But, it is helpful to keep in mind here that this value was calculated based on estimated economic influence over their lifetimes, not real dollars. If these estimations translated into dollars held, that would make Charlotte and George wealthier than Queen Elizabeth herself, and obviously that's not the case. Essentially, it boils down to the fact that fans of the royal family are a bit more likely to buy a dress Charlotte wore than shorts George did, meaning Charlotte has more economic sway.

But why is this? According to The Telegraph, it's at least partially due to the “Princess Charlotte effect,” where other parents see what Charlotte is wearing and subsequently buy it for their own children. The demand is so wild that a poll claims one in every five parents consider the princess a style icon for their own kids, The Telegraph reports.

While George's economic impact is projected to be less than his sister's for the time being, it's still nothing to snuff at.

“The royal children have a positive impact on the sales of particular clothes and toys brands they wear or play with,” Brand Finance CEO David Haigh said. They have a very similar effect on brands as their mother, the Duchess of Cambridge, who has a real Midas touch—everything she touches turns into gold.”