People visiting London to pay tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II have been urged to stop laying Paddington Bear dolls and marmalade sandwiches down in designated memorial sites.
Thousands have traveled to royal residences Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, and Balmoral Castle to pay their respects since the death of Queen Elizabeth II last week, with mourners laying flowers, toys, and balloons down in homage to the monarch.
Alongside the growing collections of bouquets and cards, numerous stuffed Paddington Bears peer out at passersby, while hoards of marmalade sandwiches—the fictional character’s favorite snack—have also been nestled among the tributes.
Close up of floral tributes and a toy Paddington Bear as public gather to lay flowers at a temporary memorial garden in Green Park following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, and the proclamation of the new King Charles III on 11th September 2022 in London, United Kingdom. Plastic was removed from the bunches by a team of volunteers and Royal Parks staff. King Charles, who is known for his environmental work, is opposed to flowers wrapped in plastic. (photo by Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images) LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 12: A woman places a Paddington Bear doll on a wall outside Windsor Castle following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, on September 12, 2022 in London, United Kingdom. Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor was born in Bruton Street, Mayfair, London on 21 April 1926. She married Prince Philip in 1947 and acceded to the throne of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth on 6 February 1952 after the death of her Father, King George VI. Queen Elizabeth II died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on September 8, 2022, and is succeeded by her eldest son, King Charles III. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 2022/09/11: A Paddington bear with messages seen with the flower tributes outside Buckingham Palace. Crowds of mourners and well wishers from all over the world continue to come to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, who died on 8th September 2022. (Photo by Hesther Ng/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – SEPTEMBER 11: A portrait of Queen Elizabeth II is placed next to Union Jack flag and Paddington bears among flowers as crowds of people visit a memorial site in Green Park on the third day of national mourning following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in London, United Kingdom on September 11, 2022. Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest reigning monarch, has died peacefully at the age of 96 at Balmoral Castle on Thursday after 70 years on the throne. (Photo by Wiktor Szymanowicz/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 2022/09/11: A Paddington bear with messages and flowers is on top of the flower tributes outside Buckingham Palace. Crowds of mourners and well wishers from all over the world continue to come to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, who died on 8th September 2022. (Photo by Hesther Ng/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 2022/09/11: A Paddington Bear toy is seen alongside flowers and tributes outside Buckingham Palace as thousands of people continue to arrive to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen died on September 8th, aged 96. (Photo by Vuk Valcic/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 2022/09/11: A toy Corgi with messages and flowers is seen with the flower tributes outside Buckingham Palace. Crowds of mourners and well wishers from all over the world continue to come to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, who died on 8th September 2022. (Photo by Hesther Ng/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The gifts are a sentimental nod to a sketch that aired earlier this year, in which the Queen hosted Paddington Bear for tea as part of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
However, the Royal Parks charity—which manages 5,000 acres of royal parkland across London—is pleading with members of the public to stop adding teddy bears, sandwiches, and other nonbiodegradable gifts to the tributes.
“We would prefer visitors not bring non-floral objects/artefacts such as teddy bears or balloons,” the Royal Parks said in guidance issued to the public in the wake of the Queen’s death. “Visitors are asked not to leave artefacts in any other areas of the parks.”
The organization added: “In the interests of sustainability, we ask visitors to only lay organic or compostable material. The public will be asked to remove all wrapping from floral tributes and place these in the bins provided. Removing the wrapping will aid the longevity of the flowers and will assist in subsequent composting which will start between one week and a fortnight after the date of the funeral.”
It said cards and labels would be accepted, and would be periodically removed by its staff and contractors, while candles would be extinguished if they were laid among the gifts.
