So Kate Middleton's family bought their furniture, while William and his aristocratic friends inherited theirs, along with a lot of family silver too. Yet snobbery surrounding Kate's background hasn't stopped her climbing to the top of UK society.

Kate and her sister Pippa have been dubbed the Wisteria Sisters because they're "highly decorative, terribly fragrant and with a ferocious ability to climb".

So, are there any rules for young Dublin women who want to 'do a Kate' and marry up? Someone has to marry the rich, handsome men of this world, after all.

There will always be women who lunch instead of working, and lounge on yachts. Truman Capote wrote: "If you want to ride swiftly and safely from the depths to the surface, the surest way is to single out a shark and attach yourself to it like a pilot fish."

The 'shark' is, of course, a man on his way to the top, and the targeted male is very often in business (or his dad is successfully so), or works in the TV or entertainment industries, so he improves a woman's exposure to other famous people. If, like Imelda Marcos, you believe "Nouveau riche is better than no riche," there are some ways to improve your chances of getting within fluttering distance of a man of substance (status, success, showbiz fame, serious credit etc.)

You are where you live: Social climbers rent or buy a small place in an upmarket area, as opposed to a bigger place downmarket, so they have a better chance of meeting a moneyed male. They buy a dog and walk him in Herbert Park or on Malahide Strand, take up sailing, and develop a gra for rugby.

You are who you hang out with: Wisteria women make friends with people of loftier social standing to improve their chances of climbing the ladder. They only need one celebrity friend to get them over the threshold of Residence and Krystle, to party with the young and beautiful.

You are where you hang out: Like Kate Middleton, a woman with her eye on a trophy knows to always look happy and pleasing and inviting. She knows she is far more likely to be photographed if she's laughing and animated. She is far more likely to end up in the social diaries of newspapers looking her best in the city's most exclusive hotspots.

You are what you say: Knowing when to stay quiet is essential when you're on the climb -- the privileged always name drop their schools, while social climbers keep schtum about the local comprehensive.

You are where you holiday: If a socially ambitious woman's family hasn't yet acquired a summer home of their own, she'll network with people who have holiday retreats. Seasoned in the art of ingratiating herself, she will write a thank you note and leave a gift so she's invited again.

You are how you look: Aspirational women know their appearance is a compliment to a person hosting a party. Looking fabulous says they are very grateful to be asked along, and can they please be invited back. The seriously wealthy get away with being bohemian chic, but not those on the move up.

You are what you do for a living: A job may improve your chances of climbing the social ladder -- think Carole Middleton, who worked as a flight attendant when it was posh to do so. It may be working in public relations and promoting events and organisations along the lines of the Dublin Horse Show or the Dun Laoghaire Yacht Club.

You are what role you take on: A pretty parvenu wastes no time on people who are of no use, and invests hours in anyone who can get her ahead in work, leave her a few bob in a will, or introduce her to the 'right' people -- anyone with money, power or connections. She's terrifically obsequious and a marvellous confidante -- should there be a pay-off.

- Anna Coogan