- The last time Paddington travelled to Windsor, he met the late Queen
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Nearly four years after his first visit, Paddington Bear returned to Windsor Castle for an appointment with Queen Camilla during a star-studded reception for young writers.
It was a glorious return to form for the beloved bear, who promised to hand out all his marmalade sandwiches to the finalists of the BBC 500 Words competition gathered in the Grand Reception Room.
After he was introduced to the Queen by broadcaster Alex Jones, Paddington curtsied before Camilla, 78, as she thanked him for travelling 'all the way'.
'And you’re going to give all your marmalade sandwiches to all these children, and perhaps I can have one too, thank you very much,' Her Majesty said.
On an especially warm February day, Camilla told the jacket-clad bear: 'You must be a little hot.'
In addition to his favourite marmalade sandwiches, Paddington also treated guests to a special performance of The Explorer and The Bear from Paddington The Musical.
It's not every day that Paddington comes to the castle; the last time the Peruvian bear travelled to Windsor, he took tea with the late Queen during her Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Paddington and the late Queen bonded over their shared love of marmalade sandwiches in a heartwarming skit that opened her star-studded Platinum Jubilee concert to mark 70 years of Elizabeth's reign.
Nearly four years after his first visit, Paddington Bear returned to Windsor Castle for an appointment with Queen Camilla during a star-studded reception for young writers They are seen with West End actress Marisha Wallace
When she died just three months later, the beloved bear joined heartbroken Britons in paying tribute to Queen Elizabeth as Paddington thanked her 'for everything'.
Paddington Bear wasn't the only celebrity at yesterday's reception in the room at Windsor Castle that is traditionally reserved for investitures.
He joined Sir Lenny Henry, Malorie Blackman and Rose Ayling-Ellis, the judges of the prestigious children's writing competition that Camilla has supported for over a decade.
The reception was hosted by the presenters of BBC's The One Show, Alex and Roman Kemp, while Jodie Whittaker, Joanna Page, Bradley and Barney Walsh, Sara Cox, rapper Big Zuu, and author Paterson Joseph were enlisted to read out the top six entries.
The VIPs, however, were the 50 finalists who were chosen after the competition received over 45,000 submissions from writers across the UK.
During the reception, Camilla put aside the crisis unfolding at the heart of the Royal Family as she was photographed chatting with her guests - including stars of the BBC's Gladiators.
Livi Sheldon and Zack George, who are better known as Diamond and Steel, were joined by Harry Aikines-Aryeetey (Nitro) and Montell Douglas (Fire) to represent the show at yesterday's event.
Camilla, like other senior royals, is continuing her public duties after the unprecedented arrest of disgraced Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor last week.
After he was introduced to the Queen by broadcaster Alex Jones, Paddington curtsied before Camilla, 78, as she thanked him for travelling 'all the way'
The last time the Peruvian bear travelled to Windsor, he took tea with the late Queen during her Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Paddington and the late Queen bonded over their shared love of marmalade sandwiches in a heartwarming skit that opened her star-studded Platinum Jubilee concert to mark 70 years of Elizabeth's reign
Yesterday, she joined King Charles, Princess Anne and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester in the largest gathering of royals since Andrew's arrest.
His Majesty handed out The Queen Elizabeth Prizes for Higher and Further Education St James's Palace on Tuesday, February 24, after he pledged 'my family and I will continue in our duty and service' in a statement following his younger brother's arrest.
BBC 500 Words is the UK’s most prestigious writing competition and has been supported by Queen Camilla for more than a decade.
It encourages youngsters aged between five and 11 to write a short story from their own imagination.
Last month, Camilla joined the panel of judges - chaired by Alex and Rose - to select 50 of the best entries out of 46,500 submissions from writers across the UK.
BBC 500 Words judge Frank Cottrell-Boyce previously said the competition is 'a highlight of my calendar' in a statement.
'Every year I'm amazed at how funny, wise, ambitious and bonkers our children's stories can be. And every year we judges have a massive fight about which story is the funniest, wisest, most ambitious and most bonkers,' the acclaimed author said.
The final will be televised on The One Show on March 6, World Book Day.
