Paddington Bear paid his respects to Queen Elizabeth Thursday, months after the duo participated in a heartwarming skit for the late monarch’s Platinum Jubilee in June.
Paddington and Elizabeth warmed the hearts of all in a hilarious afternoon-tea sketch where they bonded over their love of marmalade sandwiches.
“Thank you Ma’am, for everything,” tweeted the bear.
The sketch, which kick-started the festival on June 4, shows Paddington and Elizabeth sitting down to a nice cup of tea before the bear guzzles down nearly all of the beverage before serving the monarch only a few drops.
Paddington then offers Elizabeth a marmalade sandwich he had stored in his hat “just in case.”
“So do I,” she replies, taking out a sandwich from her iconic handbag.
“I keep mine in here.”
The light-hearted sketch takes a more serious tone as the bear thanks her for her 70 years of service to Britain.
“Happy Jubilee, Ma’am. And thank you. For everything,” says Paddington.
Queen Elizabeth and Paddington Bear share tea right before the Platinum Jubilee on June 4, 2022. Buckingham Palace/Studio Canal/BBC Studios/Heyday Films/PA Wire/Handout via REUTERS
The entire sketch took the former monarch half a day to film. Buckingham Palace/YouTube
According to insiders, Queen Elizabeth kept the skit quiet from her entire family. Victoria Jones/PA via AP
Paddington was one of several to offer their love and support after the monarch passed on Sept. 8, 2022. Twitter/@paddingtonbear
After a series of accidents, Paddington offers Elizabeth a sandwich from his hat. Buckingham Palace/YouTube
During the sketch, the royal revealed that she, too, loved marmalade sandwiches — and kept one in her trademark purse. Buckingham Palace/YouTubeAn attendant then informs the sandwich-toting sovereign that the Jubilee is about to begin, leading both bear and monarch to tap out the beat to “We Will Rock You” before transitioning outside to a live performance.
According to insiders, Queen Elizabeth spent half a day filming the sketch at Windsor and allegedly kept the entire thing a secret from her family.
Frank Cottrell-Boyce, who co-wrote the skit, recalled how much the sovereign liked to be in front of the camera.
“She had a lot more lines in the Paddington sketch, partly because it was a lot cheaper to film her than to film Paddington,” Cottrell-Boyce noted. “But she did that brilliantly and with evident enjoyment. And it wasn’t easy. Paddington’s not really there, so it’s technically an amazing performance and a brilliantly timed comic performance.”
The royal keeping a sandwich in her purse is a bit of a hat-tip to her favorite food, too. Recently, Queen Elizabeth II’s former private chef, Darren McGrady, spilled the tea on the monarch’s favorite meal for high tea — and, apparently, it’s the same thing she’s been eating since childhood: jam sandwiches.
“The queen was served jam pennies in the nursery as a little girl. She’s had them for afternoon tea ever since,” McGrady claimed on his YouTube channel.
