Two British icons.
A star studded Party at the Palace concert took place outside Buckingham Palace last night as part of the four-day long Royal Jubilee celebrations to mark Queen Elizabeth’s 70 years on the throne.
Acts like Rod Stewart, Queen, Andrea Boccelli, Alicia Keys, Diana Ross, Elton John, Giles Terera and many more performed at the ticketed event, with thousands and thousands of onlookers had gathered at the Mall, the grand boulevard that runs up to the palace, and in a nearby park to watch the concert on big screens.
Queen Elizabeth did not attend the concert herself due to ‘periodic mobility issues’ but opted instead to watch the star-studded show from her home at Windsor Castle.
Paddington Bear at the palace
However, the 96-year-old made sure her presence was known digitally – by kicking off the celebrations with a pre-recorded comedy sketch – starring none other than herself – and another iconic and beloved British figure – Paddington Bear.
In the secretly recorded two-and-a-half-minute sequence played at the start of the televised Platinum Party at the Palace, the accident-prone bear from ‘deepest, darkest Peru’ has been asked to have tea with the Queen – but ends up causing mayhem by accidentally drinking all the tea and spraying cream from a chocolate eclair over a Palace Footman.
Paddington, who is nothing if not kind, then tries to remedy the situation by offering the Queen a marmalade sandwich – from his secret stash that he always keeps under his red hat.
However, the Queen then surprises everyone by revealing she also likes to make sure she always has a marmalade sandwich on hand. Reaching into her trademark handbag, the 96-year-old responds: “I keep mine in here” and pulls out her very own sandwich to show her exotic guest.
Paddington then congratulated the Queen on her reign of 70 years, saying: ‘Happy Jubilee Ma’am. And thank you. For everything.’
To which the modest monarch replies: ‘That’s very kind.’
‘Too fun to miss’
The two-minute video of Queen Elizabeth and Paddington Bear was trending on social media late last night, with people from across the globe praising the Queen for her sense of humour.
In a statement, Buckingham Palace said the Queen felt the opportunity to invite Paddington to tea was ‘too fun to miss’.
“Her Majesty is well known for her sense of humour, so it should be no surprise that she decided to take part in tonight’s sketch,” the palace revealed.
‘There was an interest in the filming and animation process and the opportunity to invite a famous bear to tea was just too much fun to miss.”
The statement also made it clear how much the Queen appreciated the celebrations that are happening in her honour.
“While The Queen may not be attending the concert in person, she was very keen that people understood how much it meant to her and that all those watching had a great time.”
