This weekend is a very special occasion worldwide, and even more so for Donegal toy company Arklu.

Letterkenny-based toy creators Arklu are launching a Royal Flower Girl Doll for young and old to cherish ahead of the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Lottie the Flower Girl has been designed after Princess Charlotte, who will be a star member of the bridal party leading Meghan Markle up the aisle in St Georges Chapel this Saturday.

Royal Flower Girl Lottie – lottie.com

The limited edition doll wears a traditional satin Flower Girl dress with pumps and comes with her very own posy to carry up the aisle.

The pack also includes a piece of artwork as designed by an ‘Inspired by Real Kids’ competition winner, in the form of a wedding card.

The collectible dolls are available to pre-order online now at https://bit.ly/2L7sx3A

Royal Flower Girl Lottie – lottie.com

This special launch is in celebration of the royal roots of Arklu, co-founded by Donegal businessman Ian Harkin. Arklu’s first creation was a collection of limited edition dolls celebrating the wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton.

Arklu Royal Wedding Dolls

The company then evolved to develop its own brand of dolls after 18 months of research, researching with child psychologists, play experts, body image experts, parents and kids they launched Lottie in August 2012.

In fact, Arklu’s ‘Lottie’ dolls were named after Charlotte many years before she was born. After a process of elimination on William’s family tree they worked out that the first daughter of the newly wedded Duke and Duchess of Cambridge would very possibly be named ‘Charlotte’ – and in recognition of the company’s royal origins they choose the abbreviated name Lottie.

Royal Flower Girl Lottie – lottie.com

In May 2016, The Prince of Wales visited the offices of Arklu in Donegal where he was presented with the original Royal dolls and a selection of Lottie dolls for his grandchildren. The gifts were mentioned on the official gift list issued in January 2017.

The new Royal Flower Girl Lottie carries the motto “Be bold, be brave, be you!” which is themed around the brand’s ethos of diversity and individuality.

What makes Lottie unique apart from her height of 18cm/7.5” is that she is based on a 9-year-old child. With over 1m dolls sold to date and currently selling in over 30 countries worldwide the dolls are empowering girls and boys all over the world.