Paddington Bear rekindles memories of tea with the Queen

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM To say goodbye to Elizabeth II for the last time, Sarah Fowles went to Buckingham Palace with flowers… and a stuffed animal. With his red hat and blue coat, Paddington Bear is omnipresent amid thousands of bouquets.

Everyone still remembers the video of the queen drinking tea with the adorable and clumsy bear on the occasion of the Platinum Jubilee festivities, which the United Kingdom celebrated in June for her 70 years of reign.

“It was the last time we saw the queen at a public event,” said Julie Williams, 63, who traveled four hours by train from Manchester to pay tribute to the late sovereign. “It was these kinds of things that created a bond between her and people.”

The video showed the queen, 96, having tea with Paddington and acknowledging, with a mischievous smile, carrying a jam sandwich in her inseparable bag, like the one the endearing bear wears under his hat.

They would then bang together with a spoon on their teacups to the beat of the drums as they began to play Queen’s “We Will Rock You” live outside Buckingham Palace.

The video went viral and remained in the collective memory as one of the few funny moments of a jubilee with a farewell tone.

“The video was great. It showed her sense of humor, that she knew how to connect with people, with children in this case,” explains Sarah Fowles, who hopes to deposit her Paddington at the palace gate.