The late Queen Elizabeth II served and was in the public eye her entire life, but the monarch rarely revealed her personal self to the world. But she did give the world a few glimpses of her sense of humor and acting skills.
Two of her most iconic cameos on screen were alongside Paddington Bear and James Bond. Frank Cottrell Boyce, a writer on both of the skits, said that the queen had amazing comic timing.
Paddington Bear sketch
This two-minute video starred the late queen with Paddington. The video, which aired during the monarch’s Platinum Jubilee in June, featured the pair sipping tea at Buckingham Palace. After the bear gulps down all the tea straight from the kettle, he realizes there is none for the monarch.
He offers the queen a marmalade sandwich that he hid in his hat, per GQ magazine. She responds with a smile and tells Paddington that she also keeps emergency marmalade sandwiches and then proceeds to take one out of her purse.
Paddington then wishes the queen a happy jubliee. “Thank you, for everything,” he says.
“She’s absolutely glowing in that moment,” Boyce said of her appearance alongside Paddington, per Variety. “And you’ve got to remember that that’s real acting that’s going on there. Paddington isn’t really in the room. She’s acting with an eye-line and with someone pretending to be Paddington. That’s proper acting going on. But I also think it’s true happiness.”
After the monarch’s passing made the news, Paddington Bear’s official Twitter account tweeted out the same sentence, thanking her “for everything.”
This sweet video resonated with people, and after her passing, many opted to leave Paddington-inspired tributes, such as bears, balloons, teapots and even marmalade sandwiches, at parks and other places
The Royal Parks subsequently issued a statement urging people to steer away from teddy bears and plastic toys and instead opt for “organic or compostable material.”
Queen Elizabeth and James Bond
Before her appearance next to Paddington, the queen was in another cameo. This time, it was during the 2012 Olympic Games hosted in London.
She starred alongside James Bond, an iconic Secret Service agent played by Daniel Craig.
Bond arrives at Buckingham Place, with two of the queen’s corgies following him. He meets the monarch and the two make their way to a helicopter. The Secret Service agent and queen’s stunt double jump off the aircraft and parachute into the Olympic stadium.
The only line she had in the video was her greeting the agent: “Good evening, Mr. Bond.” Boyce recalled that she requested to have a line on the day of filming and it wasn’t in the script.
Craig released a public statement following the queen’s passing through PA Media.
“I, like so many, was deeply saddened by the news today and my thoughts are with the royal family, those she loved and all those who loved her,” he said. “She leaves an incomparable legacy and will be profoundly missed.”