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UK royals donate Paddington Bear cuddly toys to children’s charity Barnardo’s

  • More than 1,000 Paddingtons and other teddy bears were left outside royal residences by mourners following Queen Elizabeth’s death in September
  • The late monarch was patron to Barnardo’s for three decades, the UK charity’s chief executive Lynn Perry said.

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Britain’s Queen Consort Camilla with a collection of Paddington cuddly toys. More than 1,000 bears, left at at royal residences as tributes to Queen Elizabeth, will be donated to the Barnado’s children’s charity. Photo: Buckingham Palace via Getty Images / via AP
Agence France-Presse

More than 1,000 Paddingtons and other teddy bears left by mourners following Queen Elizabeth’s death are being donated to a leading children’s charity, Buckingham Palace said on Saturday.

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Barnardo’s will receive the professionally cleaned toys in the coming weeks after they were left outside royal residences in London and Windsor, along with a sea of flowers, after Elizabeth died on September 8.

Paddington Bear sits among other tributes at Green Park, London following the funeral of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth on September 23. Photo: Reuters
Paddington Bear sits among other tributes at Green Park, London following the funeral of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth on September 23. Photo: Reuters

The late monarch was patron to Barnardo’s for three decades, the UK charity’s chief executive Lynn Perry said.

“We promise to look after these bears who will be well loved and bring joy to the children we support,” she said in a palace statement.

Paddington Bear became synonymous with Elizabeth at a “Platinum Party” in early June celebrating her record-breaking 70 years on the throne.

The party and concert memorably kicked off with the queen interacting with a computer-generated Paddington, tapping the beat to Queen’s We Will Rock You on her teacup.

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