In February Queen Elizabeth II became the first British Monarch to celebrate 70 years of service to the United Kingdom. To commemorate the unprecedented achievement, the UK is throwing a Platinum Jubilee lasting from June 2-5 with public events and parades to honor Her Majesty. One very special guest even received tea with Her Majesty! On June 4 Paddington Bear sat down with The Queen to share a calm before the excitement of the Platinum Party at the Palace, the massive concert held outside of Buckingham Palace. The sweet British bear even brought The Queen a marmalade sandwich!
A video posted to YouTube allows us a peek inside the palace as Queen Elizabeth hosts an intimate tea party for herself and Paddington Bear, who we can only assume is an old friend. Both the Queen and Paddington are served a warm pot of tea to share, but when the ever-so-polite bear accidentally finishes it all off, he kindly removes a marmalade sandwich from his hat and offers it to the monarch, saying, “I always keep one for emergencies.” With a sly grin, the Queen replies, “So do I,” and brandishes her own sandwich from her designer handbag. It appears the two have more in common than being British icons! Their tea party is cut short by the roar of the crowd outside, indicating the Platinum Party is about to begin, and so, with the tip of his hat, Paddington wishes the Queen a happy Jubilee, and thanks her for her dedication to the people of the United Kingdom. The pair then tap their teaspoons to the beat of Queen‘s “We Will Rock You” along with the 34 Royal Marine drummers.
Following the charming tea party, Buckingham Palace treated their 22,000 guests to a three-hour live performance including artists like the British rock band Queen, the esteemed Elton John, Diana Ross, Alicia Keys, Duran Duran, Rod Stewart, as well as Lin-Manuel Miranda and the casts of various Broadway musicals. Prince Charles and Prince William both spoke for the event while the guests and members of the royal family watched on.
The Queen’s soirée with Paddington is a nod to the time, a decade ago for the London Olympics, when she was the only lady to keep James Bond waiting. It seems The Queen keeps fine company. Paddington Bear has been a celebrity in Britain since the late ’50s when he was first written into his very own children’s books by author Michael Bond. Since then, Paddington has been in many television shows and two feature-length live-action animated films, aptly titled Paddington and Paddington 2. Ben Whishaw (Mary Poppins Returns) lends his voice to the polite young bear alongside stars like Jim Broadbent (The Iron Lady) and Hugh Grant (Love Actually). If you can’t get enough of the fuzzy charmer, it has confirmed there will be a third film beginning production in late 2022.
Join Queen Elizabeth II and Paddington for tea and marmalade below!
