THE BEAR FACTS
MARION McMULLEN looks back at the history of the Queen’s royal tea guest Paddington
1 Queen Elizabeth’s cream tea with Paddington Bear at Buckingham Palace was one of the highlights of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Her majesty revealed she shared Paddington’s love of marmalade sandwiches and kept one in her handbag.
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The family of Paddington Bear creator Michael Bond have spoken of their pride at the sketch. His daughter, author Karen Jankel, said her late father would have been “chuffed to bits” at the Queen’s marmalade revelation.
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Michael Bond visited Buckingham Palace in 1997 to be awarded an OBE and took Paddington along with him. The writer, who died at the age of 91 in 2017, was also given a CBE for services to children’s literature in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 2015.
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The duffle-coat wearing bear has become a national treasure since he appeared in his first book, A Bear Called Paddington, published in 1958.
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The Paddington books have gone on to sell more than 30 million copies worldwide.
The kids’ favourite has been translated into more than 30 languages.
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Ex-Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson’s mother, Shirley, began making the first Paddington Bear plush toys in 1971 and Michael Bond later gave her a licence to continue to produce the popular toys.
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Actor Michael Horden narrated Paddington Bear’s TV series in 1976. The 2014 film led to a Paddington trail around London with 50 statues of the bear decorated by celebrities. Football star David Beckham named his Golden Paws.
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Actor Ben Whishaw voiced the famous bear on the big screen and Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky provided the voice of Paddington Bear in the Ukrainian dubbing of the hugely successful 2014 and 2017 films.
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The Duchess of Cambridge rarely dances in public but she made an exception to enjoy a waltz with Paddington Bear during a 2017 visit to the London station the famous Peruvian character is named after.
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Paddington Bear has also featured on UK stamps and 50p coins. The coin designs depicted the classic character in two locations from his adventures, sitting on his suitcase at Paddington station and, fittingly, enjoying a day out at Buckingham Palace.