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The sweet tree decorations Princess Kate added to Westminster Abbey trees to honour late Queen

All the Christmas trees were donated by His Majesty The King


kate westminster abbey
Andrea Caamano
Website Editor
On 16 December 2022
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On Thursday, the royal family gathered to support the Princess of Wales at her second carol concert at Westminster Abbey.

Ahead of the service, which began at 5pm and lasted for an hour, the Abbey was beautifully decorated with Christmas trees which were sourced from Windsor Great Park and donated by His Majesty The King.

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The gorgeous trees that were added to the outside of the Abbey were decorated with fake snow and warm lights, but those inside featured red bows as well as several special additions in honour of the late Queen – mini Paddington bears and Paddington bear baubles.

The late Queen Elizabeth II became linked to Paddington bear, another British national treasure, after the two appeared together in a short comedy video during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June.

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When Her Majesty passed away in September, more than 1,000 Paddington bears and other teddy bears were left in tribute to her.

Kate Middleton and Prince William inside Westminster Abbey with Prince George and Princess Charlotte© Photo: Getty Images

The royal couple brought their two eldest children to the concert

In October, Buckingham Palace and the royal parks revealed that the hundreds of bears left in tribute to the Queen would be professionally cleaned before being delivered to Barnardo's, a children's charity.

A month later, Camilla delivered her promise and donated them to the charity during a "Teddy Bear's Picnic" event for vulnerable children at the centre.

A close up photo showing several Paddington bears in a christmas tree© Photo: Getty Images

Paddington bears decorated the trees inside the Abbey

She described it as "a pleasure" to re-home the toy bears, before telling the children: "Please look after them carefully".

Back in September, as the Prince and Princess of Wales spoke to volunteers and operational staff that had been involved in the Queen's funeral at and engagement in Windsor Guildhall, William opened up about the Paddington bear tributes.

Speaking to a member of the logistics team, William said: "Certain moments catch you out. You are prepared for all, but certain moments catch you out."

A close up showing a Paddington bear hanging from a christmas tree© Photo: Getty Images

A close-up of one of the tree decorations chosen the Princess Kate

He added: "It is the things you don't expect that get to you," adding that he got "choked up" over the Paddington tributes.

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