The Franklin Mint
“Kate Middleton is living the dream every little girl holds dear…and every woman remembers with a smile…becoming a Princess.”
Contrary to what you may think, this is not the mantra that NewsFeed repeats morning, noon and night as the royal wedding — just 50 days to go! — nears ever closer. But it’s rather the opening line by the Franklin Mint, who have started to sell the Kate Middleton Royal engagement vinyl portrait doll.
(More on TIME.com: See pictures of Kate Middleton)
Retailing for a very reasonable $195 (or three easy monthly payments of $65!), you too can get as close as feasibly (or should that be legally?) possible to Britain’s future Queen. And you have to admire the Franklin Mint’s chutzpah — and they don’t use that word much in Buckingham Palace — by actually trying to claim that Kate Middleton is, you know, one of us.
Ready for the spiel? “For the first time in over 350 years, a non-royal like one of us is beginning that journey for real.” And not only is she resplendent in the royal blue engagement dress that she wore on the day she was formally introduced to the world but, “She also features miniature replicas of the jewelry the soon-to-be princess donned, including the necklace, earrings, and engagement ring, all outfitted with simulated sapphires, diamonds, and other jewels.” And with a build up like that, the “other jewels” part is clearly crucial.
(More on TIME.com: See pictures of royal weddings)
Mini-Middleton (and really, the Franklin Mint has missed a trick by not naming the doll in this manner) comes in at 16-inches and features a chestnut brown handmade wig. All 5,000 of this limited run of dolls are sure to go quickly — aren’t they? — and if you want to “take home a piece of the fairytale today,” you know what to do. Indeed, if this royal wedding is teaching us anything, it’s that centuries of tradition has been building up to the moment the Franklin Mint brought out a Kate Middleton doll.
(More on TIME.com: See a video turning Kate Middleton into Princess Kate.)