Paddington bear and a sandwich laid outside Queen’s residence in touching tribute

A Paddington teddy bear and a sandwich wrapped in a plastic bag inscribed with the words “for later” were laid amongst rows of flowers that adorned the gates of the royal residence here, in a rare and touching tribute to the late Queen, media reports said on Saturday.

Queen Elizabeth II, the UK's longest-serving monarch, died on Thursday at Balmoral Castle in Scotland after reigning for 70 years. She was 96.

For the uninitiated, the tribute was made in reference to the Queen’s conversation with Paddington Bear, a much-loved fictional character, during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, according to The Evening Standard newspaper.

The Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II was the international celebration this year marking the 70th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II to the throne on February 6, 1952.

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In a video aired by the BBC in June this year, shows the bear joining the late monarch for tea in Buckingham Palace.

"Thank you for having me. I do hope you're having a lovely Jubilee," the bear said in the video.

In the video, the Queen and the bear express their love for marmalade sandwiches before which the monarch reveals that she has kept one in her bag, “for later”, the report said.

Not surprisingly, the pictures of the famous bear and the sandwich have sent social media into meltdown.

On Thursday, shortly after Buckingham Palace announced the Queen’s demise, Paddington’s official twitter account sent out a tweet which said: “Thank you Ma’am, for everything.”

Charles III was proclaimed Britain's new monarch on Saturday in a historic ceremony of the Accession Council that was televised for the first time in history.