Here’s What the Royal Family Is Doing With All Those Teddy Bears Left in Tribute to Queen Elizabeth II
Following Queen Elizabeth II’s death on Sept. 8, thousands of flowers and teddy bear tributes to the late monarch were left outside Balmoral Castle, Buckingham Palace, and Windsor Castle. As the days passed the flowers wilted but the stuffed teddy bears remained and many have wondered just what will be done with all those stuffed animals.
Read on to find out the answer to that and what the royal family’s policy is for items that are sent or that are left for them.
Why so many Paddington Bear stuffed animals were left in tribute
The majority of the teddy bears left in tribute to Queen Elizabeth are of Paddington Bear. Over the last few months, the popular character had become sort of a mascot for the royal family matriarch.
“If somebody told me a year ago that the queen was sadly going to die, and when she did, that Paddington would be a very large part of it, I would be utterly amazed,” Karen Jankel, daughter of Paddington creator Michael Bond, told BBC.
The reason that came about has to do with a video that was shown ahead of the queen’s Platinum Jubilee concert in June in which she starred in a skit opposite Paddington.
“One of the last times most of us saw the queen close up was when she did that marvelous sketch during the Jubilee celebrations,” Jankel noted, adding, “That was the final image of the queen for many people – that’s what they remember, and so they associate her with Paddington.”
What the Palace is doing with all the teddy bears
In the days and weeks following the queen’s death, the Royal Parks Charity worked with hundreds of volunteers to “sensitively” remove the tributes left outside the royal residences. A news release from the royal family stated that the bears will be professionally cleaned and donated to the British children’s charity Barnardo’s. The organization provides support and services to vulnerable kids and young adults.
“Those involved in the project hope the teddy bears will be much loved for many years to come by children supported by Barnardo’s, whilst understanding the story behind the bears and how they came to be donated,” the release via CNN read.
Barnado’s website notes that Queen Elizabeth served as the charity’s patron from 1983 to 2016. Camilla, Queen Consort (formerly Camilla Parker Bowles) took over as the charity’s patron in 2016.
The royals have a policy for every item given to or left for a family member
Now that we know what is being done with the teddy bear tributes to the queen, you may be wondering what the royals have done with all the gifts that were sent to them or given to them from well-wishers and mourners during walkabouts after the monarch’s death.
There is a policy in place for any items they receive from the public. According to the royal family’s website, the policy states that anything gifted from a private citizen should be refused if “there are concerns about the propriety or motives of the donor or the gift itself.” Otherwise, every gift from a private citizen not known to the royal family is first looked over for safety reasons and then could actually be accepted and used under the condition that the item isn’t worth more than £150 ($169 USD). If it cannot be used it may be donated to charity.
The gifts that are usually accepted include flowers, food and other consumable items, and copies of books presented by the author themselves. Items obtained from government bodies, trade associations, the armed forces, and certain charities in the U.K. may also be accepted.
