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Mourners have been asked to stop bringing ‘gifts and artefacts’ other than flowers to pay tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth – which means no more Paddington teddy bears or marmalade sandwiches, we’re afraid.
In the wake of the Queen’s death, many people have flocked to Buckingham Palace and other landmarks to pay their respects to the long-reigning monarch.
Some have left Paddington stuffed toys or marmalade sandwiches as a nod to the special Platinum Jubilee sketch she appeared in alongside the fictional bear.
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However, The Royal Parks charity has now asked that mourners stop leaving gifts and ‘artefacts’, saying only floral tributes should be left.
“Any form of floral tribute is acceptable,” a message on the charity’s website said.
“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.
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“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.”
As for whether visitors can leave gifts such as teddy bears, The Royal Parks said: “Unfortunately, no gifts and artefacts will be accepted and the public will be asked not to bring these to the parks. Non-floral objects/artefacts such as teddy bears or balloons should not be brought.
“Cards and labels will, however, be accepted and will be periodically removed by The Royal Parks’ staff and contractors for storage offsite. This process will be carried out with discretion and sensitivity.
“Visitors must not leave artefacts in any other areas of the parks.”
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The charity added that the ‘principal location’ for laying flowers was the Green Park Floral Tribute Garden, and that any flowers left at Buckingham Palace would be ‘sensitively moved’ to the appropriate tribute site.
The news made it onto BBC Breakfast this morning, where reporter Sally Nugent told viewers: “I just want to bring you a little bit of advice that’s come from The Royal Parks this morning.
“They are suggesting that there are enough Paddingtons and marmalade sandwiches in the parks at the moment, so please feel free to bring flowers, but maybe don’t bring anymore Paddingtons or marmalade sandwiches for now...”
Commenting on Twitter, one person wrote: “You can tell she felt a bit weird by having to announce something like this.”
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Someone else said: “This sort of announcement could only be made in the UK.”
A third added: “I imagine her Majesty having a little giggle at this.”
Others suggested people could donate food to a food bank or give money to charity in the Queen’s honour instead.
Jess Hardiman