Queen Camilla delivers Paddington bears left after Queen Elizabeth's death to children's charity

KATIE KINDELAN
·2 min read
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The hundreds of Paddington teddy bears left at royal residences following Queen Elizabeth II's death in September have found a new home.

The teddy bears were hand-delivered Thursday by Camilla, the Queen Consort, to Barnardo's, a children's charity that will distribute the bears to kids in need across the United Kingdom.

Camilla -- who was given the role of royal patron of Barnado's in 2016 by the queen -- arrived to Barnardo's Bow Nursery school in East London in a fleet of taxis, along with the bears.

PHOTO: Camilla, Queen Consort delivered paddington bears and other cuddly toys that were left as tributes to Queen Elizabeth II to Barnardo's Nursery in London, Nov. 24, 2022. (Stephen Lock/i-Images/Polaris)
PHOTO: Camilla, Queen Consort delivered paddington bears and other cuddly toys that were left as tributes to Queen Elizabeth II to Barnardo's Nursery in London, Nov. 24, 2022. (Stephen Lock/i-Images/Polaris)

The taxis were symbolic because taxi drivers in the U.K. often transport children to and from the hospital for free.

PHOTO: Camilla, the Queen Consort, arrives for a special teddy bears picnic at a Barnardo's Nursery where she personally delivered Paddington Bears and other cuddly toys, which were left as tributes to Queen Elizabeth, in London, Nov. 24, 2022. (Yui Mok/PA via AP)
PHOTO: Camilla, the Queen Consort, arrives for a special teddy bears picnic at a Barnardo's Nursery where she personally delivered Paddington Bears and other cuddly toys, which were left as tributes to Queen Elizabeth, in London, Nov. 24, 2022. (Yui Mok/PA via AP)

At the nursery school -- which provides child care and education to kids up to age 5 -- Camilla joined a teddy bear tea party with students and two stars of the "Paddington" movie, Hugh Bonneville and Madeleine Harris.

PHOTO: Camilla, the Queen consort, holds a Paddington bear during a visit to Barnardo's Nursery in London, Nov. 24, 2022. (Pool via Reuters)
PHOTO: Camilla, the Queen consort, holds a Paddington bear during a visit to Barnardo's Nursery in London, Nov. 24, 2022. (Pool via Reuters)

Camilla also helped distribute some of the Paddington teddy bears, which paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth's surprise appearance alongside Paddington in a special video recorded for her Platinum Jubilee celebration last June.

MORE: Queen Elizabeth II's cause of death revealed on her death certificate

Following the end of the official mourning period after the queen's death, the teddy bears left at royal residences were collected and cleaned by Royal Parks staff members and volunteers, according to Buckingham Palace.

PHOTO: A Paddington Bear is pictured with floral tributes in Green Park, near Buckingham Palace, in London, Sept. 11, 2022. Charles III was formally proclaimed Britain's new king following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II. (Stephane De Sakutin/AFP via Getty Images)
PHOTO: A Paddington Bear is pictured with floral tributes in Green Park, near Buckingham Palace, in London, Sept. 11, 2022. Charles III was formally proclaimed Britain's new king following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II. (Stephane De Sakutin/AFP via Getty Images)

Earlier this month, the bears, each in their signature blue duffle coats and red bucket hats, got to explore the inside of two royal residences, Buckingham Palace and Clarence House.

The royal family's official Twitter account shared a video showing the bears' journey from outside to inside the palaces.

"They have been doing some light reading at Clarence House," the video noted at one point, "and exploring the Buckingham Palace State Rooms."

Queen Camilla delivers Paddington bears left after Queen Elizabeth's death to children's charity originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com