Singer leads the pack, Julia Roberts, Nicole Kidman and Sofia Vergara follow

Apr 26, 2012 08:13 GMT  ·  By

Pop superstar Beyonce is featured on the latest cover of People magazine, which crowns her with its biggest yearly distinction: that of world's most beautiful woman. It's because she's a new mom that she feels the most beautiful, the diva says.

Few voices online are saying Beyonce didn't deserve to get the title, while a few more agree that it's probably mostly a PR stunt than anything else, because of the media interest her pregnancy and delivery generated.

The majority, though, agrees that she's the perfect pick for this year's distinction.

Speaking with the publication (see a behind the scenes video of the shoot below), Beyonce stresses that being named world's most beautiful means even more for her now that she's a mother.

She even says she's never felt more attractive than she does now, having uncovered a side of herself when she gave birth to Blue Ivy she didn't know she had.

“I feel more beautiful than I’ve ever felt because I’ve given birth. I have never felt so connected, never felt like I had such a purpose on this earth,” Beyonce gushes in the interview.

The singer won't say whether her daughter with husband Jay-Z takes more after her or her dad, but admits that they both “love” changing diapers.

“She looks like Blue. She’s her own person. The best thing about having a daughter is having a true legacy. The word 'love' means something completely different now,” Beyonce explains.

Before checking out the video of the stunning Beyonce rocking several incredible outfits for the People shoot, let's have a look at who else made the cut on the list.

As it happens every year, it contains an assortment of singers, actresses and other public figures, with the difference that 2012 also marks the inclusion of royalty in the top 10.

Sofia Vergara, Charlize Theron, Lily Collins, Madeleine Stowe, Christina Hendricks, Michelle Williams, Paula Patton, Miranda Lambert and Kate Middleton follow in Beyonce's footsteps in the World's Most Beautiful chart.