Duchess of Sussex shortlisted for Time magazine's 'Person of the Year' - along with Trump and Putin

The Duchess of Sussex has been shortlisted for Time magazine’s “Person of the Year” award, coming up against the unlikely rivals of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.

The Duchess, who married into the Royal Family in May 2018, is up for consideration as one of ten finalists who have most influenced the global news agenda in the last year.

The award is presented to an individual or group who have made an impact “for better or for worse”, and was last year won by the "Silence Breakers": those who spoke out about sexual assault in the #metoo movement.

This year, the Duchess will compete against candidates from President Trump, whom she has criticised in the past, to murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Christine Blasey Ford, who testified against Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh, and the separated families who have become the emblem of US immigration policy.

March For Our Lives activists, the students protesting for gun control reforms after a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, are also nominated.

Pres Trump is on the shortlist after is second year in office “through navigating crises involving both himself and his staff, attacking an encircling investigation implicating people close to him, and enacting several controversial policies, ranging from separations at the border to an international trade war with China”, Time said.

President Putin, who extended his term for another six years in March, is named for a year of news including “scrutiny over Russia’s involvement in the 2016 U.S. presidential elections, the poisoning of ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal in the U.K., and increasing tension with Ukraine”.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, is on the shortlist, along with Ryan Coogler, the 32-year-old director of the film Black Panther.

Jamal Khashoggi, who died in October, is one of the ten, as is Moon Jae-in, the South Korean President who has met with Kim Jong -un .

The Duchess’ citation, published by the magazine, describes her as: “Former Hollywood actor and activist Meghan Markle traded in her roles on screen for a royal title in May, when she married Britain’s Prince Harry to the delight of captivated crowds across the U.K. and millions more worldwide.”

The winner will be announced today on Tuesday.