Paddington bears left as tributes to the late Queen Elizabeth II to be donated to a children's hospital

More than 1000 Paddington bears and other teddies that were left outside royal residences in London and Windsor by members of the public in memory of the late Queen Elizabeth II will be donated to children's hospitals, Buckingham Palace revealed on Saturday. According to BBC, the bears have been professionally cleaned and will be delivered to Barnardo's children's charity, a nonprofit organization that the late monarch passed to Camilla, queen consort, in 2016. The royal family celebrated the announcement by releasing a new photograph of the queen consort, featuring the 75-year-old with some of the Paddingtons and teddy bears.

In the photo, Camilla is seen sitting on a low sofa in the Morning Room at Clarence House, surrounded by Paddingtons and teddy bears. The photograph was reportedly captured on Thursday, which marked the 64th anniversary of the publication of the first "Paddington Bear" book. In a statement, Barnardo's Chief Executive Lynn Perry said: "Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was Barnardo's patron for over 30 years, and we are honored to be able to give homes to the teddies that people left in her memory. We promise to look after these bears who will be well-loved and bring joy to the children we support."

"We are incredibly grateful to Her Majesty The Queen Consort for her support in helping us to raise awareness of the needs of vulnerable children and young people in the UK so that we can continue to support them through our vital services," Perry added. According to PEOPLE, as they wait to get delivered to the nonprofit organization, the bears are currently being "well looked after" at Buckingham Palace, Clarence House and in the Royal Parks nursery situated in Hyde Park. Tom Jarvis, director of parks at the Royal Parks charity, said: "Over the last few weeks, we have been looking for a fitting and appropriate use for the hundreds of teddy bears that were left in Green Park and Hyde Park to honor the Queen."

"We are delighted that the teddy bears will now bring joy and comfort to hundreds of children supported by Barnardo's," Jarvis added. He also shared that while it is a challenge when cuddly toys are left outdoors, the "weather was kind" till his team of shire horses and almost 200 volunteers managed to collect all of the bears. Queen Elizabeth II came to be closely associated with the famous Peruvian bear after she delighted fans by having tea with Paddington at Buckingham Palace in a much-loved comedy sketch during the queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June.

The hilarious skit also featured the monarch pulling out a marmalade sandwich from her trusty handbag. The video was reportedly kept top secret even from members of the royal family until the late queen appeared onscreen with the famous British children's book and film character. Frank Cottrell Boyce, who co-wrote the queen's sketch with Paddington, said in an interview following the monarch's death that she had "brilliant" comic timing and could have been an actor. "She's absolutely glowing in that moment," he said of the queen's demeanor alongside Paddington during an appearance on BBC News Friday morning, reported Variety. "And you've got to remember that that's real acting that's going on there. Paddington isn't really in the room. She's acting with an eye-line and with someone pretending to be Paddington. That's proper acting going on. But I also think it's true happiness."