Mental Floss

Royal Parks Is Pleading With People to Stop Leaving Paddington Bears and Marmalade Sandwiches to Mourn the Queen

Jake Rossen|
Sometimes you can have too much Paddington.
Sometimes you can have too much Paddington. | SOPA Images/GettyImages

The death of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8 has resulted in a swell of grief in the UK and beyond, with admirers mourning the monarch and the end of her landmark 70-year reign. But not all tributes to the queen have been received warmly, particularly one involving Paddington Bear and marmalade sandwiches.

According to Food & Wine, The Royal Parks has been struggling with a deluge of stuffed Paddingtons and the spreadable treat left out to honor the queen. It’s in reference to a short video shot for Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee in June featuring Paddington, star of the eponymous 2014 and 2017 films. In the short, which you can see below, Paddington and the queen extol the virtues of the marmalade sandwich.

While the sandwiches and bears are well-intentioned, The Royal Parks says that leaving out food in Green Park—where a floral tribute has been arranged for the public to visit—is affecting the wildlife, presumably attracting hungry visitors to the garden site. The plastic wrappers are also not environmentally friendly.

The Royal Parks is also unenthusiastic about anything other than floral arrangements being left behind.

“We would prefer visitors not to bring non-floral objects/artefacts such as teddy bears or balloons,” TRS said in a statement. “Cards and labels will, however, be accepted and will be periodically removed by The Royal Parks’ staff and contractors for storage offsite. This process will be carried out with discretion and sensitivity.”

Grief over the queen’s death has led to some peculiar situations over the past week. Grocery chain Morrisons had to refute a rumor they had turned off their beeping checkout scanners out of respect. (The chain said the volume was lowered but not muted.) Another viral rumor had the Wetherspoons chain of pubs refusing to dispense condoms from vending machines in their locations with a sign saying “no sheathes will be dispensed.” Wetherspoons denied the reports.

Home/ROYAL FAMILY