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WITH her curly red locks, huge blue eyes and pretty face, Caitlyn Boyd is our real-life Princess Merida.

The 15-year-old schoolgirl is a dead ringer for the feisty heroine of Disney Pixar’s blockbuster Brave.

And flame-haired Caitlyn, of Brechin, in Angus, was crowned our little princess after winning the Sunday Mail’s international search for a Merida lookalike.

We received hundreds of entries from red-haired beauties from across Scotland and further afield who all resembled the warrior princess.

But it was Caitlyn who impressed our judges most with her uncanny likeness to Disney’s archery-loving character.

The Mearns Academy pupil and three of her pals will now attend the glittering European premiere of Brave inEdinburgh on June 30.

Caitlyn, an aspiring actress, is delighted to have won the competition.

She said: “Ever since the first Brave trailer came out, everyone has been saying how much I looked like Merida. So when I saw the competition, I thought I would enter.

“I still can’t believe I’ve won and can’t wait to go to the premiere. I’m really proud to be Scotland’s real-life warrior princess.”

Caitlyn’s mum Susan, 36, says she is slightly freaked out by her daughter’s likeness to Merida. She said: “Watching clips of Brave is like watching a cartoon version of Caitlyn.

“It’s like Disney have created an animated version of my daughter. It’s incredible. I can’t wait to see the movie.”

The fifth-year pupil, who will stay in one of the capital’s top hotels during her stay in Edinburgh, would love to star in a Hollywood movie.

Caitlyn, who has been acting and dancing since she was four, said: “I want to be a professional actress. I’ve been in lots of amateur productions and would love a career in TV or on the big screen. My idol is Helena Bonham Carter.”

The premiere of the animated blockbuster, set in the Highlands, will be the finale to the Edinburgh International Film Festival.

In the movie, Merida is a warrior princess and the reluctant heir to the throne. Her parents King Fergus and Queen Elinor are determined to find her a husband but the feisty princess refuses, unleashing an ancient curse.

She is set to become one of Disney’s most popular heroines and Caitlyn will be there as the character makes her European debut.

Brave, which features the voices of Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly and Robbie Coltrane, launches in the US later this month and British fans will be able to see it on general release in August.

Flaming brilliant

Thanks to everyone who entered the competition - we had loads of younger entrants who looked fantastically like the Brave princess as well, with people entering from Scotland, Australia and the US.