This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today.
The Queen gets her own Barbie
Listen
1:13
Listen to the Story
ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
What do you get the monarch who has everything for her 96th birthday? Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her big day yesterday in private, but her public celebrated with a song from the Coldstream Guards at Windsor Castle...
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
SHAPIRO: ...And a 41-gun salute in Hyde Park.
(SOUNDBITE OF CANNON FIRING)
DANIEL ESTRIN, HOST:
Another gift the queen got yesterday was her own Barbie. The Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee doll celebrates the queen's 70 years on the throne, a record for a British monarch.
Sponsored message
SHAPIRO: She's decked out in an ivory gown and blue sash. Of course, she's wearing a crown atop her white curls and her royal medallions and ribbons. The doll's stern, regal face kind of makes it look like a pensive Helen Mirren.
ESTRIN: It costs $75. And if you're thinking about getting one, sorry. Mattel has already sold out.
SHAPIRO: Yeah, we can already hear the disappointed sighs from the collectors and Anglophiles listening now. But don't lose hope. You still have time to track one down, maybe secondhand, before the Queen's four-day jubilee celebration, which begins June 2.
(SOUNDBITE OF ERNEST RANGLIN'S "MANENBERG") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
