Buzz
Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8, an overwhelming wave of grief has spread across the UK and the world, with admirers mourning both the loss of the monarch and the conclusion of her historic 70-year reign. However, not all tributes to the Queen have been warmly received, especially those involving Paddington Bear and marmalade sandwiches.
As reported by Food & Wine, The Royal Parks has been struggling with a flood of stuffed Paddingtons and the popular spread left as tributes to the Queen. This is in reference to a short film made for Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee in June, which features Paddington, the star of the 2014 and 2017 films. In the video, Paddington and the Queen share their love for marmalade sandwiches.
Though the bears and sandwiches are meant as heartfelt gestures, The Royal Parks warns that leaving food in Green Park—where a public floral tribute has been set up—is disturbing the local wildlife, likely attracting animals in search of food. The use of plastic wrappers also raises environmental concerns.
The Royal Parks is not particularly pleased with anything other than flowers being left behind as tributes.
"We would prefer that visitors refrain from leaving non-floral items such as teddy bears or balloons," The Royal Parks said in a statement. "Cards and labels, however, are welcome and will be collected periodically by our staff and contractors for storage offsite. This will be done with the utmost care and respect."
The grief surrounding the Queen's passing has led to some strange incidents this past week. Grocery store chain Morrisons had to deny a rumor that they had muted their beeping checkout scanners in tribute. (They clarified that the volume was simply lowered, not turned off.) Another viral rumor claimed that Wetherspoons pubs were refusing to dispense condoms from vending machines, accompanied by a sign reading "no sheathes will be dispensed." Wetherspoons also denied these claims.
