Queen Elizabeth II may have skipped the music concert of her Platinum Jubilee celebration for health reasons but she still managed to steal the show by surprising everyone while having an afternoon party with Paddington Bear.
The clip was shown on the big screen to thousands watching the Jubilee Platinum concert and millions of viewers across the UK. The two-and-a-half-minute video showed Paddington Bear having an afternoon tea and sharing his love for marmalade sandwiches which, to his surprise, is also a Queen's favorite, as per The Guardian.
This on par if not better than the Olympic James Bond scene.
— Michael Cowan (@mrmikecowan) June 4, 2022
The Queen having tea with Paddington - incredible that at 96 and after 70 years on the throne she still has the power to surprise #platinumpartyatthepalace pic.twitter.com/88NP1ScpXx
Paddington Bear and Queen Elizabeth II Tea Party
The video, kept secret by Buckingham Palace, BBC Studio, and Heyday Films/Studiocanal for months was shown on the BBC as part of the Jubilee celebrations.
The short film starts with Paddington Bear thanking the Queen for inviting him for an afternoon tea. He made a series of blunders when he accidentally drank all the tea straight from the teapot and sprayed cream from a chocolate éclair over a palace footman.
The Peruvian-born bear then told the Queen that he loves and keeps marmalade sandwiches in his hat, offering them to Her Majesty. To his surprise, the Queen also keeps marmalade sandwiches in her bag for "emegencies."
The bear congratulates the Queen on her reign and thanked her for everything. The Queen replied, "That's very kind."
The clip ended with The Queen and Paddington tapping out the beat of the Queen's "We Will Rock You" song using a spoon and a china teacup.
Filming with the Queen and Paddington Bear
The Queen was known for her sense of humor; hence it was no surprise that she took part in the sketch, Deadline reports. The Palace said that while the Queen could not attend the concert in person, she wanted people to understand how much the event meant to her. She also wanted to ensure that all those watching had a great time.
Mark Sidaway, the Executive Producer for the BBC's Platinum Party at the Palace at BBC Studios Productions, said that they were thrilled and honored that the Queen had agreed to participate in the "touching yet the joyful idea" of their team. He admitted that the video was also nerve-wracking as the team made sure that the short film blended with the live performances of the Queen and Adam Lambert.
As per Rosie Alison of Heyday Films, their entire crew had an emotional day filming the video. Alison admitted that they were enamored of her Majesty's wit, warmth and aura as she patiently engaged with the polite, clumsy, but very well-intentioned bear.
The Platinum Jubilee Concert
The Her Majestty was unable to attend much of the Jubilee celebrations due to health reasons, but the Prince of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and other family members were in royal attendance.
The concert was starstudded, with music legends like Diana Ross, Sir Elton John, Queen, Hans Zimmer, Alicia Keys, George Ezra, Sam Ryder, Craig David, and Rod Stewart gracing the show.
As per News Sky, the Queen's Jubilee at a concert outside the Buckingham Palace garnered a live crowd of 22,000 people and a television audience of millions from all across U.K. and outside of the country.
