Featured Stories

By Beth Stibal |

Queen Elizabeth celebrates her 96th birthday with a new Barbie

Queen Elizabeth II
FILE This Tuesday, May 25, 2010 file photo shows Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II returning to Buckingham Palace in a carriage after attending the Houses of Parliament in London for the official State Opening of Parliament. The patriotic bunting is ready, the golden carriage on standby, the boats freshly painted, the shops filled with royals souvenirs. The normal ebb and flow of British life gives way in the next four days to a series of street parties, flotillas, outdoor concerts and finally the appearance of an elderly great-grandmother on her balcony to wave to her subjects.The pageantry is very grand and very British. But at the heart of the Diamond Jubilee celebration is a nearly universal sense of appreciation for the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, who is marking 60 years on the throne. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Queen Elizabeth, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch,is 96  today.   And to honor her birthday and Platinum Jubilee, she is commemorated with a new Barbie doll.

The doll is  wearing “an elegant ivory gown and blue ribbon adorned with decorations of order.” The Royal Barbie is topped off with a crown and matching accessories and sells for $75 bucks.

On the eve of this important date, Buckingham Palace shared a photo of the queen between two white ponies, reflecting her lifelong interest in horses.

Queen Elizabeth the Second was born on April 21,1926 and she ascended to the throne at age 25 when her father, King George the Sixth, died unexpectedly in February, 1952.