Heartwarming: Hundreds of Teddy Bears Left As Tributes to Queen Elizabeth Find New Home in the Arms of Children
Perhaps they’ll serve marmalade sandwiches.
We can only hope. Since that’s what both the late Queen Elizabeth II and Paddington Bear divulged they keep hidden away for tea time — his in his pocket and hers, of course, in her purse.
The Royal Family has announced on their Instagram that a very special event is upcoming.
It reads, in part, “In September, hundreds of teddies and Paddington bears were left as tributes to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at Royal Parks and Residences. @TheRoyalParks have worked with @TheRoyalFamily and @Barnardos_uk to give them all a new home.”
It goes on to explain that the Royal staff members and volunteers have been sure to clean and sanitize all the bears for their visit to Buckingham Palace. They’ll only be there briefly, but it will be a magical time.
“Next week, The Queen Consort will join a special teddy bears picnic to introduce the bears to their new families.”
The BBC noted that Paddington Bear has cropped up everywhere as people grieve the loss of their beloved Queen Elizabeth II. This stemmed, of course, from her surprise video sketch where she appeared with the fictional bear during her Platinum Jubilee.
Karen Jankel, daughter of Paddington creator Michael Bond, stated, “‘If somebody told me a year ago that the Queen was sadly going to die, and when she did, that Paddington would be a very large part of it, I would be utterly amazed.’ Paddington teddies and marmalade sandwiches have been placed among the tributes — so many, in fact, that the Royal Parks have asked mourners not to leave any more.”
According to People, “Next Thursday, the Queen Consort will attend a special teddy bears picnic, featuring some of the stars of the Paddington movies. During the event, Camilla will hand out Paddington Bear teddies and other stuffed toys that were left as tributes to Queen Elizabeth to a group of kindergarteners.”
Also at the November 24th tea party will be some of the stars of the Paddington film, as well as Karen Jankel, for whom the original stories were written. Hugh Bonneville will read Paddington Takes a Bath for all the children.
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Viewers of Queen Elizabeth II sharing tea with Paddington in that sketch couldn’t help but see the joy in the Queen’s countenance and the twinkle of fun in her eyes, making it a wonderful memory for all to treasure.
After the Jubilee, artist Eleanor Tomlinson painted an image of the Queen and Paddington walking together hand-in-hand, which quickly went viral on social media. That picture has now also become a familiar sight among the tributes.
Tomlinson told BBC Look North. “I’m not really an emotional person, but I was very teary looking at the photos.”
She’s not the only one who gets misty watching the Queen walk away, but with her faith in Jesus Christ central to her life, we all know she’s home at last with Him.
