She may be the head of 53 states, representing nearly a third of the world’s population, but the Queen has been ranked below Lady Gaga in a list of the most powerful women on the planet, reports the Daily Mail.
According to Forbes magazine, Her Majesty is only the 49th most powerful woman in the world – down eight places on her 2010 ranking.
The Queen is just two places above BBC News director Helen Boaden – the next highest Briton.
Harry Potter author JK Rowling also made the top 100, coming in at No 61.
Her Majesty has such a lowly rank because the magazine’s editors believe she has failed to sustain her influence over the past 12 months.
Forbes crowned German chancellor Angela Merkel as its most powerful woman, followed by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff.
Forbes based its list on a mixture of wealth, creative influence and entrepreneurship, meaning pop stars and politicians sit side by side at the top.
They control £18.5trillion collectively and have an average age of 54. Twenty-nine are chief executives, 22 are single and eight are heads of state.
Merkel is praised as Europe’s ‘undisputed’ leader and takes the number one spot from First Lady Michelle Obama, who has been relegated to eighth on the list.
Lady Gaga, 25, is the youngest entry and is ranked at No 11. Fellow US singer Beyoncé is 18th.
Beyonce comes it at 18 because she has released her fourth album this year and ‘is growing up and into herself’, the Forbes editors wrote.
They also praise the 29-year-old for ‘taking control of her own business dealings’ and for amassing 16 Grammy Awards.
Others on the list include Angelina Jolie at 29 due to her acting and humanitarian work and Sarah Palin at 34 who is described as ‘the unofficial hostess of the Tea Party’.
As well as the three British women on the list, there are four other British based businesswomen including Angela Ahrendts, the chief executive of Burberry, who is at 58.
According to Forbes the most successful women derive their power ‘from money and might, but also (thanks to social media) reach and influence’.
This was not enough to stop The Queen from slipping down the ranks, even though its editors admit she has been ‘indefatigable’ in recent times.
Moira Forbes, President & Publisher of ForbesWoman, said of Her Majesty: ‘Our Power Women’s list is far from static, and the methodology changed a bit over last year, reflecting the new ways in which women are achieving and sustaining influence.
‘Power today, hard or dynamic, is fleeting so this list represents a snapshot in time.’
Forbes added: ‘Our list reflects the diverse and dynamic paths to power for women today – whether leading a nation or setting the agenda on critical issues of our time.
‘Across their multiple spheres of influence, these women have achieved power through connectivity – the ability to build community around the organisations they oversee, the countries they lead, the causes they champion, and their personal brands.’
The Forbes 100 list of Most Powerful Women is worked out by a panel of editors from Forbes magazine.
THE TOP TEN
These are the planet’s ten most powerful women, according to Forbes, with their job titles in brackets:
Angela Merkel (German Chancellor)
Hillary Clinton (US Secretary of State)
Dilma Rouseff (Brazillian President)
Indra Nooyi (Pepsi CEO)
Sheryl Sandberg (Facebook COO)
Melinda Gates (Co-founder, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation)
Sonia Gandhi (President, Indian National Congress Party)
Michelle Obama (US First Lady)
Christine Lagarde (IMF Managing Director)
Irene Rosenfeld (Kraft Foods CEO)