Four months after the wedding of century, the dolls of the royal couple, named Princess Catherine and Prince William were unveiled to the public at the Hamleys toy store in London on Thursday. The dolls have been launched by British toy company Arklu, which will donate £1 ($1.65) from every purchase to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
Princess Catherine doll comes with a miniature version of the wedding dress designed by Sarah Burton and Alexander McQueen, a bouquet, tiara and lace-trimmed veil. The doll also includes her earrings, engagement and wedding rings, shoes, and something blue knickers, which bear the designer’s signature ribbons and attention to detail in a sweet and lovely child-like version.
William has his cap under his right arm and has been given some black and shocking pink socks, while his shoes have a W stamped in them, following reports that William marked his shoes to avoid mixing them up with his brother Prince Harry’s.
The miniature replicas are instantly recognisable and, some might say, delightfully kitsch, Arklu said. I would not use the word delightful for the dolls with over-sized heads and toothy grins. And the title in the name of doll – Princess Catherine is not correct, because after her wedding, Middleton was given the official title of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.
The boxed set of both dolls costs £100 ($165), while single Catherine dolls cost £50 ($82,5). There are no separate William dolls.
