Mantel defends her comments about Kate

Budliegh Salterton-based novelist Hilary Mantel has defended her controversial comments about the Duchess of Cambridge.

The writer had been quoted as saying the duchess was a "shop-window mannequin" whose only purpose was to breed.

But she told BBC Radio 3's Night Waves programme that her words had been taken out of context.

Mantel said her speech had clearly been addressing a perception of Catherine that had been created in the mediawhen she decribed her as "gloss-varnished" with a perfect plastic smile, and having no personality.

Speaking about those comments, the author said: "My lecture and the subsequent essay was actually supportive of the Royal Family and when I used those words about the Duchess of Cambridge, I was describing the perception of her which has been set up in the tabloid press.

"My speech ended with a plea to the press and to the media in general. I said 'back off and don't be brutes; don't do to this young woman what you did to Diana'.

"My whole theme was the way we maltreat royal persons, making them one superhuman, and yet less than human."

Mantel, whose latest novels are set in the royal court in Tudor times, said she believed she had been "set up" as a hate figure.

She added: "I don't believe for one moment that there was any lack of clarity, after all, I have been practising my trade for a number of years now."

"It was a matter of taking the words completely out of context - twisting the context - and setting me up as a hate figure.

"I have absolutely no regrets."

"I do think that the Duchess of Cambridge is an intelligent young woman who, if she cares to read my essay, will see that I meant nothing but good to her."

Mantel recently added to her growing collection of awards when she was named as the winner of the The Costa novel prize for the second book in her historical trilogy, Bring up the Bodies.