Prince William says ‘no one’ but Paddington Bear knew what was inside Queen’s handbag

‘Now we’ll never know what was in the handbag’

Prince William has sweetly claimed that no one knew what was in Queen Elizabeth II’s iconic black handbag except for Paddington Bear.

On Thursday, the Prince and Princess of Wales greeted well-wishers in front of Sandringham House, where they viewed floral tributes left for the Queen. In a video from the occasion shared on Twitter by Howard Junior School, William could be seen talking to a group of children about his grandmother’s skit with Paddington, which was released during her jubilee celebrations in June.

“Do you like Paddington?” he asked. “Did you see the skit with Paddington and my grandmother?”

The segment William was referencing featured Paddington Bear asking the Queen if she would like a marmalade sandwich, before pulling one out of his hat. In response, the Queen then opened her handbag and pulled out her own sandwich.

While speaking to the children outside Sandringham on Thursday, William went on to claim he himself was unaware what was in his grandmother’s iconic black bag, which was used in the skit, before suggesting it is an answer only known by the fictional children’s character.

“Did you all ever wonder what she had in her handbag?” he continued. “No one ever knows what was in her handbag. Paddington did though.”

The clip continued with William asking two children if they’d learned anything about the Queen recently, following the announcement of her death on 8 September.

As of 16 September, the video has more than 21,300 views, with viewers in the comments praising the Prince of Wales for the way he interacted with the young well-wishers.

“He’s an excellent communicator, he really goes down to their level and takes his time with them. You can tell he’s an excellent father. Very patient and understanding.  He’ll make a great future king,” one person wrote.

“This is lovely,” another added. “He really took his time and was patient with the children, giving them a memory to treasure.”

This isn’t the first time that the royal addressed his grandmother’s connection to Paddington. In a video of William captured by BBC News on Thursday, he noticed that one well-wisher was holding a baby wearing a Paddington-themed shirt.

To the woman and baby, he joked: “I was saying, I think Paddington might have knocked the Corgi off the top spot now. The Corgis won’t take that very well.”

Following the Queen’s passing, Paddington Bear’s Twitter account shared a sweet tribute to the monarch, which read: “Thank you Ma’am, for everything.”

As for what was inside the Queen’s classic black handbag, it has always been a mystery what exactly the monarch held, even though she was rarely seen without it. However, in 2016, Phil Dampier, the author of What’s in the Queen’s handbag: And other royal secrets, claimed to Hello! Magazine that she carried a number of things in her bag, such as dog treats.

“[The monarch] packs treats for her much-loved corgis; sometimes a crossword cut from a newspaper by a servant in case she has time to kill; a penknife, a diary and a small camera,” he said at the time.

A royal mourning period is currently in place for the Queen before her funeral, which will take place on Monday 19 September.