Queen and Paddington Bear celebrate Jubilee

STORY: In the clip, the queen told Paddington she always kept the Bear's favourite - a marmalade sandwich - in her ever-present handbag.

The opening video with the fictional character had echoes of 2012 when the queen appeared with Britain's most famous fictional spy, James Bond, in a video for the opening ceremony of the London Olympics.

A palace spokesman said: "The opportunity to invite a famous bear to tea was just too much fun to miss."

However, Elizabeth was not present for Saturday's festivities, which were among a number of Jubilee events she has missed due to "episodic mobility problems" that have caused her to cancel engagements recently.