Queen Elizabeth’s beloved Launer handbags saw her through everything from major royal events to everyday moments, and her trusty bag even came along for tea with none other than Paddington Bear. During her 2022 Platinum Jubilee, the late monarch famously shared marmalade sandwiches in a skit with Paddington, and a tidbit from a new royal book reveals the planning behind the adorable video.
In an excerpt from Robert Hardman’s Elizabeth II: In Private. In Public. Her Story published in the Daily Mail, the author shares the behind-the-scenes details of the memorable skit. Royal fans were surprised with the video during the Platinum Jubilee concert in June 2022, and Hardman wrote the late Queen’s staff members were heavily involved in the production.
In one part of the video, Paddington pulls a marmalade sandwich out of his hat, stating he always keeps one “for emergencies,” prompting Queen Elizabeth to reply, “So do I.” Reaching into her black handbag, the late Queen said, “I keep mine in here...for later!” pulling a sandwich without any wrapping straight from the designer purse.
“There was no artifice,” Hardman wrote, adding that a source told him, “They had real marmalade in them. So [the late Queen’s dresser] Angela Kelly made sure the Queen used an old handbag she would not be using again.”
No word on what happened to the marmalade-stained handbag, but Hardman shared that the late Queen made sure to involve one of her trusted members of staff in the skit.
When Queen Elizabeth took part in a James Bond sketch during the 2012 Olympics, her beloved senior page, Paul Whybrew, was involved in the video. Hardman wrote that late monarch “thought it only fair that this film should include a walk-on part for her other trusty page, Barry Mitford.”
Although “producers initially ruled out the idea,” Queen Elizabeth insisted that her staff member take part. “'They soon got a message passed back—No Barry, no Queen,' recalled one of those on set that day,” Hardman revealed.
Of course, the late Queen had her way, and Barry was featured in the heartwarming video.
Toy Paddington Bears became a symbol of mourning for the late Queen after her September 8, 2022 death, with mourners leaving the stuffed teddies around Buckingham Palace and other royal residences. But the Paddingtons found new life that fall, with Queen Camilla donating more than 1,000 of the bears, which were professionally cleaned, to children in need.
