Watch: Queen Elizabeth II celebrates Platinum Jubilee with Paddington Bear

Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her Platinum Jubilee, and to kick it off, the British monarch is seen in a short film with Paddington Bear. 

Ben Whishaw returns to voice the bear, as he does in the films. The two and a half minute sequence was successfully kept under wraps by Buckingham Palace and was shown for the first time on BBC as part of the monarch’s jubilee celebrations. 

The short marks a rare ‘acting’ appearance on part of the Royal Family matriarch, as we see Paddington’s delight in learning the queen shares his love of marmalade sandwiches. The Queen opens her iconic handbag to show supplies of Paddington’s bread and orange marmalade. 

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When Paddington shows the queen what he hides under his hat, the monarch replies “So do I”, before proceeding to prise open her bag, and say “I keep mine in here.”

The bear is not without his antics, depriving the queen of another cup of tea and spraying cream from a chocolate eclair all over a palace footman. 

Paddington also congratulates the Queen on her reign, saying “Happy Jubilee Ma’am. And thank you. For everything.”, to which the monarch replies, “That’s very kind.” 

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The short sequence ends with the monarch and the bear using a spoon to play the beat of ‘We Will Rock You’ by the British rock band, Queen, on a China teacup. 

Speaking of the queen’s appearance in the short video, Buckingham Palace said in a statement, “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. 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. 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.”