'Too chubby' Queen doll to be sold at auction

The Princess Elizabeth doll has its original tag and is wearing the dress it came with

A rare doll of the Queen that her mother reportedly disapproved of because it made her look "too chubby" is to be auctioned.

The Princess Elizabeth toy by German makers Schoenau & Hoffmeister, with its original tag, is being sold as part of a collection of about 500 dolls.

The owner of the dolls, Betty Fox from Nottinghamshire, died in 2019 aged 95.

Daniel Agnew, from Special Auction Services, said the collection is worth between £40,000 and £60,000.

Betty Fox placed amassed the collection of dolls over several decades

The collection of mainly German and French bisque - unglazed porcelain - dolls was gathered by the mother-of-four during her lifetime.

The Princess Elizabeth has been valued at £500 to £800.

Mr Agnew said as the doll did not receive royal approval, it was not a big seller.

He said: "It was taken from a well-known photograph of the Queen."

A rare Phénix Star bébé doll has been valued at £2,000 to £3,000

Mr Agnew said it was believed the Queen Mother "really did not like the doll" because it was "chubby".

He said: "They never gave it Royal approval and it sort of fizzled out and did not sell a huge amount."

He added that in the collection there were a lot of German character dolls, some with sad faces, and boys that were crying.

"She bought all sorts of oddities and made them lovely clothes.

"She was a famer's wife with four sons. She had a full life and this was her time - she would take herself off and make clothes and buy dolls."

He said the dolls were "all over" the farm house.

Mrs Fox had cabinets full of dolls

Mr Agnew added that Mrs Fox's sons told him that in the 1960s she would put advertisements in the local paper asking people for dolls, which she would pay £5 for.

"It is a really lovely collection - I have never had a collection this big before."

Mrs Fox's dolls vary in size from two to 40 inches tall

The doll expected to fetch the most is a rare Phénix Star bébé, which has been valued at £2,000 to £3,000.

The collection will be sold as part of a three-day online auction from Monday to Wednesday.