via Daily Mail – She was consort to the future king of England – then she wasn’t – and now, perhaps, she is again.

But the see-sawing drama of dating Prince William has done no harm to Kate Middleton’s social standing.

The 25-year-old fashion buyer is today named the most sought-after party guest in high-flown circles, topping the annual Tatler “most wanted” list.

Ms Middleton is described by the magazine as a “sexy siren” made “super in-demand (by her) suddenly single” status. She has only appeared once before in the “hot 100″ – in 12th place in 2004, when she was only rumoured to be William’s girlfriend.

A Tatler source said today:

“Even if she’s back with William now, her position is assured. You can’t get much higher than No 1.”

Reports this week have suggested that the couple – who dated for four years before splitting in April – were “back on” and were keen soon to make public their renewed commitment to each other. She was among a number of friends William invited to a party a couple of weeks later at his Army barracks at Bovington, Dorset, where they were seen kissing on the dance floor.

It has also been claimed that although William engineered the initial split, claiming he was too young to settle down, he has done all the chasing after realising that the “grass wasn’t greener on the other side”.

The Top Ten

1. Kate Middleton, 2. Tony and Cherie Blair, 3. Jemima Khan, 4. Elizabeth Hurley and Arun Nayar, 5. Lord Rothschild, 6. Sophia Hesketh and Robie Uniacke, 7. Cartier’s Arnaud and Carla Bamberger, 8. Lord Ed Spencer-Churchull and Petrina Khashoggi, 9. Elisabeth Murdoch and Matthew Freud, 10. Mischa Barton