London, Nov. 27 (BNA): Camilla, wife of Britain’s King Charles, personally delivered dozens of Paddington Bear toys to a children’s charity Thursday, giving a new home to toys left by well-wishers as a tribute. To the late Queen Elizabeth.
Reuters reported that mourners placed more than 1,000 Paddingtons and other teddy bears amid crowds of flowers and letters left outside royal palaces and gardens in London and Windsor in the days of mourning following Elizabeth’s death in September.
The stuffed bears have been professionally cleaned, and on Friday, Camilla, the Queen’s consort, visited Barnardo’s nursery in east London for a ‘teddy bear picnic’ featuring marmalade sandwiches, and to distribute some Paddingtons to the vulnerable young children there.
She is joined by two actors from recent Paddington films, Hugh Bonneville and Madeline Harris, who have played Mr. Brown and Judy Brown in the film adaptations of the children’s books.
The royal link to Paddington stems from a video in June, when the then-Queen was shown having tea with the children’s literary figure, which became one of the highlights of four days of celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne.
During the comic, she told Paddington that she always kept the character’s favorite—a marmalade sandwich—in her permanent handbag.
MI