Queen 'standing but not walking' says Witchell

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The Queen Mother was a much-loved member of the Royal Family, dutifully playing her part for 50 years after the death of her husband, King George VI. Born at the turn of the 20th Century as Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, she established a glittering reputation, both as a queen in her own right and as the mother of the monarch. She died at the age of 101 just under 20 years ago, leaving behind a lasting legacy as one of the more popular members of the Royal Family, at a time when other members were suffering from particularly low levels of public approval.

She played an active role in public life right up until a few months before she died, just seven weeks after the death of her younger daughter Princess Margaret.

Yet, she wasn’t always the cheerful lady she was perceived to be.

A rare doll of our present Queen as a toddler is going up for auction, but the reason there are so few of them is down to the Queen Mother herself.

The doll was never mass produced after the royal reacted furiously to the initial prototype.

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

It is part of a collection of 500 dolls being sold with the Special Auction Services of Newbury, Berkshire, on Monday.

The smiling, rosy-cheeked figurine is wearing a frilly pink muslin dress, with white oil-cloth shoes and socks.

It is believed that the outfit was modelled on the same outfit worn by the Queen.

The Queen Mother, however, refused to give it the royal seal of approval, so very few prototypes exist today.

An expert at Special Auction Services claimed she thought the doll looked “really chubby” with its chunky legs and arms.

It is expected to be a highly sought-after item given its rarity and the fact that it retains its original red card tag.

The collection had been amassed by the late Betty Fox, a farmer’s wife who had clothes for the 500 dolls, displaying them around her Nottinghamshire home.

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Daniel Agnew, toy, doll and teddy bear expert at Special Auction services, told the Sheffield Star: “This is the largest single owner collection that Special Auction Services has ever sold.

“Betty’s collection includes some very rare early character dolls dating from the early 20th Century which are particularly sought-after.

“She displayed her collection in the house and, as she was a keen seamstress, she also made her dolls some lovely clothes.”

Mr Agnew added that the most expensive item in the collection could sell for as much as £3,000.

He added: “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.”

The doll has a guide price of £500-800.

Others in the collection include a rare late 19th Century Phénix Bébé from France, which has a guide price of £2000-3000.

Specialists said the full collection could amass more than £40,000.

Betty’s collection will be sold as part of a three-day online auction, which starts on Monday.

The total value of lots is more than £200,000.

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