The royal family attended the Princess of Wales’ second carol concert at Westminster Abbey on Thursday as a group.
Prior to the hour-long service, which started at 5 o’clock, the Abbey was exquisitely decorated with Christmas trees that His Majesty the King had donated and sourced from Windsor Great Park.
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The stunning trees that were added to the Abbey’s exterior were decked out with warm lights and fake snow, but those inside had red bows and several additional decorations in memory of the late Queen, including miniature Paddington bears and Paddington bear ornaments.
Following their appearance in a brief comedy video together during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June, the late Queen Elizabeth II and Paddington bear, another beloved British icon, came to be associated with one another.
More than 1,000 Paddington bears and other teddy bears were left as a memorial to Her Majesty after she passed away in September.
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The hundreds of bears left as a tribute to the Queen would be expertly cleaned before being delivered to the children’s charity Barnardo’s, Buckingham Palace and the royal parks announced in October.
At a “Teddy Bear’s Picnic” for at-risk kids at the center a month later, Camilla fulfilled her promise and gave them to the charity.
Before asking the kids to take good care of the toy bears, she said it was “a pleasure” to rehome them.
William talked openly about the Paddington bear tributes in September when the Prince and Princess of Wales addressed volunteers and operational personnel who had assisted with the Queen’s funeral and engagement in Windsor Guildhall.
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William said to a member of the logistics team: “Some situations throw you off guard. Despite your best efforts, some situations still manage to surprise you.”
It is the unexpected things that affect you, he continued, adding that the Paddington tributes made him “choke up.”
