Over a Thousand Paddingtons and Teddy Bears Were Left at Tributes for Queen Elizabeth
Hundreds of Paddingtons and teddy bears left in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II have found a permanent home.
Buckingham Palace, The Royal Parks, and Barnado's children's charity announced yesterday that over 1,000 toys which were left in tribute to the late monarch outside of Royal Residences in London and Windsor will be donated to the charity, for which the late queen served as patron from 1983 to 2016.
To mark the occasion, the palace released a new photograph of Queen Camilla, who assumed the patronage of the nonprofit after the late monarch. In the photo, the queen consort wears a navy dress with decorative white stitching as she sits in the Morning Room at Clarence House, surrounded by dozens of bears.
The picture was taken last Thursday, which marked the 64th anniversary of the publication of the first Paddington bear book.
Following Queen Elizabeth's death on September 8, thousands of well wishers left tributes at Buckingham and Windsor Castle, as well as the two official tributes areas in The Green Park and Hyde Park. Several members of the royal family visited these public memorials during the period of mourning before the sovereign's state funeral.
"Over the last few weeks, we have been looking for a fitting and appropriate use for the hundreds of teddy bears that were left in The Green Park and Hyde Park to honour The Queen," Tom Jarvis, Director of Parks at The Royal Parks charity, said in a statement.
"We are delighted that the teddy bears will now bring joy and comfort to hundreds of children supported by Barnardo’s," he added.
Per the palace, the bears are currently being "well looked after" at Buckingham Palace, Clarence House, and in the Royal Parks nursery situated in Hyde Park. They will be professionally cleaned and delivered to Barnado's children's services in the coming weeks.
"Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was Barnardo’s Patron for over 30 years, and we are honoured to be able to gives homes to the teddies that people left in her memory," said Barnardo’s Chief Executive, Lynn Perry MBE. "We promise to look after these bears who will be well-loved and bring joy to the children we support."
Perry continued, "We are incredibly grateful to Her Majesty The Queen Consort for her support in helping us to raise awareness of the needs of vulnerable children and young people in the UK so that we can continue to support them through our vital services."
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