The late Queen Elizabeth II gave a very truthful answer when asked why she performed so well in her Platinum Jubilee skit with Paddington Bear.
The monarch, who sadly died last year at the age of 96 after more than 70 years on the throne, was commended in 2022 for her acting skills when she starred in a feature piece for her Platinum Jubilee celebrations with Paddington Bear (voiced by Ben Whishaw).
In the skit, the pair were across the table from one another in Buckingham Palace, bonding over tea and marmalade sandwiches.
Advert
Simon Farnaby, who co-wrote Paddington 2, has since revealed what Queen Elizabeth said to him after recording their short piece.
Farnaby played the footman in the film, who despaired in the piece with the queen at Paddington’s clumsiness, which the Queen was seen to be giggling at.
He said that in order to get the Queen to say her lines in the right tone, the director asked her to speak as if it was being directed at her grandchildren.
During a recent appearance on Richard Herring’s Leicester Square Theatre podcast, he said: “Ma’am could you just be a bit gentler? Like you’re talking to your grandchildren.”
Advert
And she apparently replied: “Oh, of course. I’m so sorry.”
He said, whilst on the Richard Herring podcast, that she had trouble delivering a few lines too harshly, and had trouble remembering at times.
Mr Farnaby complimented the Queen on her performance, but she seemed to know she was talented all along.
He said to Her Majesty: “Ma’am, that was fantastic. You’re a very good actress.”
Advert
To which she replied: “Well of course, I do it all the time.
“You know I am the Queen? Paddington’s not real, they’re actors, but I am the Queen. I meant at Christmas, when I do my speeches.
“But then it’s all written down you see and now I have to remember it and I find it quite hard.”
Advert
The best thing about the appearance was that it was done without the members of her family knowing, so it took them just as much by surprise as the rest of us!
Watching back the reactions, you can see shocked expressions from King Charles and also his son, Prince William.
The phenomena became so popular that the police had to request that no Paddington bears were to be left outside Buckingham Palace after the Queen’s death, as they were getting difficult to clear up.
Featured Image Credit: BBC / Samir Hussein/WireImageTopics: King Charles III, Royal Family, The Queen, UK News