In the aftermath of the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September, the entrance to Buckingham Palace was flooded with marmalade sandwiches, flowers and more than 1,000 Paddington Bear toys in tribute to the late monarch.
What’s the link between the monarch and the bear, we hear you ask? Well, the connection between the two dates back to 1986, when children’s author Michael Bond wrote the book ‘Paddington at the Palace’ when Paddington visits Buckingham Palace, but doesn’t get to meet the Queen. Fast forward to June 2022, during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, Paddington made a cameo in the official Jubilee celebration, where the bear and the Queen had tea together and found a shared love for marmalade sandwiches in a short film.
So, for many, it seemed like a fitting tribute to the late monarch’s life to leave Paddington Bear soft toys outside the palace during the national period of mourning. Now, more than 1,000 Paddington Bear toys have been collected by the Queen Consort and will be donated to Barnardo’s children charity next week. The teddy bears have all been professionally cleaned ahead of the delivery, and will be presented by Camilla, Queen Consort on Thursday, with some going to Bow Nursery, while others will be distributed to children supported by Barnardo’s across the country. In 2016, Queen Elizabeth passed her patronage of Barnardo’s to the then Duchess of Cornwall.
New footage shows the bears doing a bit of sightseeing around Buckingham Palace and Clarence House before they make the journey to Barnardo’s and (hopefully) a new home. Check out these ridiculously cute pictures of the bears tearing it up in the palace.
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