The year was 1986 and Susan Brewer had just finished exhibiting at The Barbican when she received the call.
“It was the Palace,“ she says, in a quiet voice. “I had crafted dolls for a nativity scene and Charles and Diana had seen them. They liked them so much they requested I create a set especially for William and Harry.
“I was blown away at the time. Who knows, maybe baby George has inherited them now.”
It’s a fitting subject to open on. Although her days of doll-making for the monarchy are long behind her, Susan has just released Famous Character Dolls, and the cover features none other than a porcelain Princess Diana, swathed in deep blue velvet.
She’s not the only member of the royal family who has received the figurine treatment, as Susan describes in her book. There’s Queen Elizabeth, Henry VIII and all of his wives, as well as the Duchess of Cambridge to name a few.
Celebrities and popular book and film characters aren’t safe either, this book has appearances from Shirley Temple, Johnny Depp and Snow White too.
So, what was it about dolls that’s inspired Susan to put pen to paper?
“It’s not my first book and it won’t be my last,“ chuckles Susan, who lives in Harlow.  “I’ve written books about dolls from the 1950s and the 1960s, now I want to carry on, with the 1970s, 1980s and so on.
“I don’t know what it is, but I’ve always been fascinated by dolls, even from a young age.
“Nowadays children don’t play with dolls so much, what with the advent of electronics and games consoles, but when I was growing up, it was all dolls, dolls, dolls.
“I really loved the costume side of it, I used to make clothing for them all of the time. 
“My first doll was a plastic pedigree baby doll called Joanie, but now I’ve got hundreds. I’ve about a hundred on show in the lounge and the rest are in storage. I’m fond of each and every one of them.
“Because I write about dolls I’ve got an excuse to buy them, you need to handle them, to see what they’re like before you can write about them. It’s all research. My husband doesn’t mind too much, he’s got used to it, he’s got his trains.“
Susan, the former editor of Doll Magazine, took three years to research and compile her latest title, and it was a real labour of love for her.
“This book was about approaching the subject of dolls from a different angle. What is it that makes a doll famous? There are just so many different types – from pop stars to film stars to members of the royal family,“ she explains. “I was particularly fond of a series of dolls made by hand by some Cornish ladies for Shallowpool. They’ve all got such depth of character in their faces.
“But dolls are something a commodity. ABBA popstar dolls are worth a small fortune if they’re in mint condition, as are vintage Blythe dolls, as they were only on sale for one year.
“That’s not to say people should only buy dolls because they hope one day they’ll be worth a small fortune. Rather, you should buy a doll you like the look of, otherwise at the end of it you’re stuck with an ugly dolly.
“And as for those who say dolls are just for children, what nonsense, of course they are for adults too.“
l Famous Character Dolls, by Susan Brewer is published by Pen and Sword and is available from Amazon and pen-and-sword.co.uk