Jeremy Clarkson On His Strange Connection To Queen Elizabeth II: “I Just Wish My Mum Had Lived To See It”
In the latest column from Jeremy Clarkson, The Grand Tour presenter outlined his strange connection to the late Queen Elizabeth II as he paid tribute to the queen and his own mother, Shirley Clarkson. Wishing his mother was still here to see the marmalade sandwiches and Paddington Bears being left by the public at Buckingham Palace, Jeremy revealed something that a lot of his fans don’t yet know.
His mother was the person who created the first Paddington Bear toy, and with the proceeds of this business, she managed to afford the costs of the Repton private school that Jeremy attended. Now, after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, mourners have traveled to London to pay their respects and with Paddington Bear being an icon of the English monarchy, many placed their bears and its favourite snack – a marmalade sandwich – at the gates of the palace.
Alongside his sister, Jeremy was the first to receive a Paddington Bear toy, and he wrote about how he wished his mother could see it being used as a sign of respect for the Queen:
“And now everyone is leaving them outside the gates of Buckingham Palace as a mark of respect for the Queen,” he wrote.
“I just wish my mum had lived to see it. It would have made her so very happy.”
Jeremy has previously confirmed that the iconic yellow boots that Paddington wore were actually given to the bear by his mother. Without them, the bear toy wouldn’t stand, so she used these to stabilise the toy and since then, it has become part of the bear’s traditional clothing.
In fact, these boots became so popular that you can buy them at Paddington Station, branded with paw prints.
Michael Bond, the creator of Paddington Bear, actually attempted to sue Jeremy ‘s mother, but after meeting her and her husband Eddie in a lift, he gave them the license to carry on selling.
Bond said the following before his passing in June 0f 2017:
“I got in the lift with Shirley and Eddie. They were terribly nice and pretended it had all been a mistake — and we were friends by the time we got out of the lift. I gave them a licence.”
Today, the nation mourns the loss of Queen Elizabeth II, with the funeral dominating the majority of TV channels. She died at the age of 94 and her son, now King Charles III, will take up the mantle of king.
