Baby Queen doll is so rare because it angered Royal family

A rare doll of the Queen as a toddler that incurred the wrath of her mother because it made her look ‘too chubby’ has been unearthed.

The Queen Mother was so displeased with the German-made model of a three-year-old Princess Elizabeth that she refused to give it the royal seal of approval.

As a result the doll never made it into mass production and very few of the prototypes exist today.

The blonde haired and blue-eyed toy was made in 1929 by toy manufacturers Schoenau and Hoffmeister.

The smiling rosy-cheeked doll was dressed in a frilly pink muslin dress, matching knickers and white oil-cloth shoes and socks. It is believed the outfit was modelled on one which was worn by baby Elizabeth.

But it also depicted her with chunky legs and arms and chubby cheeks. In an earlier century, the doll makers might have been sent to the Tower of London for the unflattering representation of the future Queen.

But because of its rarity and the fact that it retains its original red card tag, the 16in high porcelain doll has become a sought-after item.

The one for sale forms part of a huge collection of vintage dolls amassed by the late Betty Fox. She was a farmer’s wife and seamstress who made clothes for her 500 dolls and displayed them around her home in Nottinghamshire.

Betty passed away in 2019 aged 95 and now her family are selling the 500 doll collection with Special Auction Services of Newbury, Berks. Specialists said it is the one of the largest ever to come to auction and could be worth more than £40,000.

Several highly valuable dolls are included, such as a late 19th Century Phenix Star Baby from France worth £3,000.

Daniel Agnew, expert at Special Auction Services, said: “This is a significant collection both because of its scale and the rarity of many of the items.

“It is the largest single owner collection that Special Auction Services has ever sold.

“The owner died in 2019 and had been collecting for 60 years. She displayed her cherished dolls all around her house in glass cabinets.

“As she was a keen seamstress, she also made her dolls some lovely clothes.

“The collection includes some some very rare early dolls dating from late 19th century France to the 1960s, the most expensive of which could sell for £3,000.

“By far the most notable item is the doll of our Queen Elizabeth II as a baby.

“The Queen Mother didn’t approve of it because she thought it looked really chubby – as a result it never received the royal warrant and wasn’t a big seller. “It is especially rare because it retains its card tag which was usually torn off and thrown away.

“We believe the outfit is based on one which was actually worn by Elizabeth.” Betty’s son, who wished not to be named, said: “Mum had dolls all over the house – in the bedrooms, in the middle room and she had a sewing and doll room which everyone loved to visit to see her latest acquisitions and projects.

“She would spend many a cold winter night in her doll room sewing with her hand-powered machine.

“As a family we were devastated when Betty passed before Christmas 2019. Only now can we face parting with her doll collection.

“We’d like others who share her passion to give them good homes.” Betty’s collection will be sold between November 22 to 24.

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