A rare porcelain doll resembling the infant Queen Elizabeth II is to go up for auction next year as the Queen celebrates her Diamond Jubilee.

The doll, which was purchased by Cambridge antiques dealer Christopher Raimer in the early Seventies, was produced by German manufacturer Schoenau and Hoffmeister in honour of the then infant Princess Elizabeth.

The firm approached Buckingham Palace for an endorsement but was rejected on the basis that the doll appeared to have more baby fat than the princess.

Consequently, few copies of the doll were produced and the item is expected to garner much interest when it eventually goes to auction next year.

The doll’s owner said: “I have never seen one of these before—and there are no records of one ever appearing at auction in the past.

"I expect it would go for at least £1,500 in the current doll market—which is a fantastic price—but because it is the Diamond Jubilee next year it could go for a lot more.”

The doll is presently on public display as part of an exhibit at the Antiques for Everyone sale at the NEC in Birmingham.

Earlier this year a doll based on Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton went on sale at Hamleys toy store.