During walkabouts, members of the Royal Family are traditionally presented with all sorts of gifts—often flowers or food, but sometimes other symbolic items, too.
When Princes William and Harry and their wives, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, greeted well-wishers in Windsor this weekend following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, they were of course given many items.
But it's one special plushy that's warming hearts everywhere: a Paddington bear toy gifted to Prince William in memory of his grandmother.
A little girl gave it to the Prince of Wales from her perch on her father's shoulders, a gesture he really appreciated. "That is so sweet. Thank you very much," the royal told her, according to the Daily Mail.
Pointing to a pile of flowers and other tributes to the Queen, William then asked, "Is that going over there or do you want me to keep it?"
The little girl wanted him to keep it, while her father said, "Either, maybe give it to your children."
William seemed to think that was a good idea, saying, "I might give it to George, thank you very much."
As you probably already know, the choice of a Paddington bear toy is far from innocuous: It's an adorable nod to the Queen's Jubilee skit, in which she invites the clumsy bear to tea at Buckingham Palace, only for him to make a series of faux-pas, before offering her a marmalade sandwich he keeps in his iconic red hat.
The fictional bear will likely always be associated with the monarch from now on. He even paid his respects to her on Twitter, writing, "Thank you Ma'am, for everything," which is a line from the skit. *sobs*
