Paddington Bears have been photographed around royal residences ahead of the Queen Consort donating more than 1,000 teddies to the Barnardo’s children’s charity.
Camilla will attend a special teddy bears’ picnic at Bow Nursey, which is run by the charity, in east London on Thursday.
At the event, she will personally deliver the Paddingtons and other cuddly toys that were left at royal residences as tributes to the Queen following her death in September.
The teddies had been left by members of the public outside Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.
The toys were then collected and professionally cleaned ahead of being delivered to Barnardo’s children’s services in the coming week.
The Royal Parks, Buckingham Palace and Barnardo’s released a video documenting the bears’ journeys on Friday, alongside photos of different Paddingtons enjoying their stay at Buckingham Palace and Clarence House.
One shot shows a bear sliding down the bannister of an ornate staircase while another pictures a bear picking out a Paddington book from a shelf full of books.
The Queen Consort will be joined by children supported by Bow Nursery and Barnardo’s staff for marmalade sandwiches at the picnic.
Paddington film cast members Hugh Bonneville and Madeleine Harris, and Paddington author Michael Bond’s daughter Karen Jankel for whom he wrote the original stories, will also attend the picnic.
It comes after Camilla was pictured surrounded by teddies in a photo taken on October 13 to mark the 64th anniversary of the publication of the first Paddington Bear book.
The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee sketch in the summer saw the Peruvian bear visit Buckingham Palace for afternoon tea, during which the Queen produced a marmalade sandwich from her handbag.
It prompted mourners to leave teddy bears and even some marmalade sandwiches among the floral tributes which amassed outside royal residences following her death.
In 2016, the Queen passed the patronage of Barnardo’s to Camilla, who was then the Duchess of Cornwall.
Barnardo’s chief executive Lynn Perry said: “Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was Barnardo’s patron for over 30 years, and 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 which 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.”
Tom Jarvis, director of parks at the Royal Parks charity, said: “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 Green Park and Hyde Park to honour the Queen.
“We are delighted that the teddy bears will now bring joy and comfort to hundreds of children supported by Barnardo’s.”
Buckingham Palace said the teddies were being “well looked after” at the palace, Clarence House and in the Royal Parks nursery in Hyde Park.
