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The Queen gets her own Barbie

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.

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.

Gabe O'Connor
[Copyright 2024 NPR]

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.