In honor of the late Queen Elizabeth II, a collection of 1,000 Paddington bears and other teddies that were offered as tributes outside Windsor and London will be donated to a children’s charity, reported Associated Press. Thousands of people had left flowers, cards, and other tributes outside Buckingham Palace and other royal locations following the queen’s death on September 8. The outpouring of grief was shown by the people who visited the parks and other royal sites.
The fictional bear made his debut in children’s literature on October 13, 1958, in Michael Bond’s book “A Bear Called Paddington.” Since then, he has been featured in more than 20 other works by Bond and other authors. The bear from Peru, with his tattered suitcase, old hat, and love of marmalade, has become a classic in children’s literature.
Significance of the Paddington Bear in the queen’s funeral
The queen was known for her affinity to the Paddington bear, a British national treasure after she appeared in a video during Platinum Jubilee celebrations earlier this year to mark the monarch’s 70 years on the throne. In the video, the queen revealed to the computer-animated bear that she enjoys hiding her marmalade sandwiches in her purse for later.
They tapped their tea cups to the beat of “We Will Rock You”, and later Queen and Adam Lambert performed the song live. The video would turn out to be one of the last public appearances of Elizabeth II before her death and as a result, Paddington Bear became a symbol of mourning for the Queen.
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The Paddington bear also appeared along with other British children’s literature characters in the televised broadcast of Queen Elizabeth II’s 80th birthday event held on 25 June 2006 at Buckingham Palace.
In the panto “The Queen’s Handbag,” he played a role in helping Percy the Parkkeeper find the queen’s purse. He joined other characters such as the canine companions of “Winnie-the-Pooh,” “Kipper the Dog,” and “Mowgli” from “The Jungle Book,” as well as the White Rabbit from “Alice in Wonderland.”
What the palace will do with the Paddington bears now
The royal parks and Buckingham Palace said Saturday that the hundreds of bears left in the areas where the queen was laid to rest will be cleaned and delivered to a children’s charity.
Lynn Perry, the chief executive of the children’s charity Barnardo’s, said the organization was honored to receive the teddies left by the people who paid tribute to the queen, reported AP. She said the organization would look after the bears and ensure that they would be well-loved.