Honoring his pal. Paddington Bear paid tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II following her death on Thursday, September 8.
“Thank you Ma’am, for everything,” read a heartfelt message shared via the bear’s official Twitter account on Thursday.
Paddington is a fictional character based in British children’s literature. While he first appeared in the 1958 book A Bear Called Paddington, he has since been featured in more than 20 stories written by British author Michael Bond and illustrator Peggy Fortnum. The stuffed animal was also the inspiration behind the critically acclaimed and commercially successful films Paddington and Paddington 2, which premiered in 2014 and 2017, respectively.
Just three months prior to her death, the royal matriarch surprised viewers when she appeared in a comedy sketch with the cuddly creature, kick-starting the Party in The Palace concert during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June.
In the sweet clip, the two bonded over their mutual love for marmalade sandwiches and sat down for a cup of tea together. As the queen prepared to depart for the big event, Paddington sent her well wishes. “Happy Jubilee Ma’am, thank you for everything,” he said, congratulating her for her 70 years on the throne.
The sketch, which the queen spent half a day filming, was hailed by Britons as better than her cameo with James Bond (Daniel Craig) during the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Olympics in London.
Paddington’s tribute was just one of many after the matriarch’s passing on Thursday. After Buckingham Palace officially announced her death at the age of 96, loving messages for the late royal — who was the longest-reigning British monarch and the world’s longest-serving female head of state — flooded social media.
Hours before her death, the monarch was placed under “medical supervision” due to growing concerns about her health, with members of the royal family — including Prince Charles, Prince William and Duchess Camilla — rushing to be by her side at her Balmoral estate in Scotland. According to the palace, Charles, 73, and Camilla, 75, planned to stay at Balmoral for the night in the wake of Elizabeth’s death and “return to London tomorrow.”
Earlier this month, Elizabeth chose to stay in Scotland to formally appoint Britain’s new prime minister, Liz Truss, instead of returning to London due to her “mobility issues” preventing her from completing her travels back to Windsor Castle. She had been struggling with her health since May.
While the queen was able to spend some time with Paddington in June and also was present for the Trooping the Colour parade, she elected not to attend the Service of Thanksgiving after experiencing “discomfort.”
