The Queen Consort has been pictured with some of the 1,000 Paddington Bear teddies that were left in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, which will now be donated to charity.
In a photograph shared by the Royal Family Twitter account on Saturday (15 October), Camilla could be seen sitting in the Morning Room at Windsor Castle wearing a navy-blue dress and clutching a Paddington teddy bear as she beams at the camera.
Dozens of teddies – which will be donated to children’s charity Barnardo’s – can be seen piled up behind her.
“Please look after this bear,” the caption said. “The Queen Consort is pictured with some of the 1,000 teddy bears that were left in tribute to Queen Elizabeth, which will now be donated to @barnardos.”
The toys were left outside Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle following the Queen’s death in September. She died aged 96 from old age at her Balmoral estate in Scotland.
The Roal Family said the bears had been professionally cleaned and will be delivered to Barnardo’s locations in the coming weeks.
“The bears have been scrubbed up to look their best ahead of arrival at their new home,” the caption added.
The photograph of Camilla was taken on Thursday (13 October) and coincided with the 64th anniversary of the publication of the first Paddington Bear book.
Months prior to her death and during her platinum jubilee celebrations, the Queen delighted fans by taking part in a skit with Paddington Bear.
The sweet video saw the pair enjoy afternoon tea together at Buckingham Palace and discuss their love for marmalade sandwiches.
The Queen was patron of Barnardo’s for more than 30 years before she passed the patronage to Camilla in 2016.
Barnardo’s chief executive Lynn Perry said: “We are honoured to be able to give homes to the teddies that people left in her memory.
“We promise to look after these bears who will be well-loved and bring joy to the children we support.
“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.”
