Fans of Queen Elizabeth II have been paying tribute to the British monarch on social media since her death Thursday at age 96.
Many of the mourners have posted images and videos of the queen alongside the classic children's book character Paddington Bear. And Paddington himself honored the late queen in a poignant message on his official Twitter page on Thursday.
"Thank you Ma'am, for everything," an account for the fictional bear tweeted shortly after news of the queen's death was reported.
But how did the duo's special connection begin?
The friendship between Queen Elizabeth and Paddington became apparent earlier this year after the pair appeared together in a sweet video celebrating Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee.
The two-and-a-half minute video premiered on the BBC in June as part of the Jubilee celebrations. The CGI version of Paddington is voiced in the clip by Ben Whishaw, who also voiced the bear in the 2014 movie “Paddington" and the 2017 sequel "Paddington 2."
In the video, the queen and her furry friend sit together for tea, with Paddington showing the queen how he always keeps a marmalade sandwich — his favorite — under his floppy red hat.
In a cute twist, the queen reveals that she, too, is a fan of marmalade sandwiches and keeps one at all times in her handbag.
Near the end of the video, Paddington congratulates the queen on her unprecedented 70 years on the throne. “Happy Jubilee Ma’am. And thank you. For everything," he tells her.
Her Majesty smiles and replies, “That’s very kind.”
As sweet as the video was, it wasn't the first time that Paddington Bear, who was created by British children's book author Michael Bond and first appeared in Bond's 1958 book "A Bear Called Paddington," crossed paths with the queen.
That happened in 1986, when Bond, who was born in 1926 — the same year as Queen Elizabeth — and died in 2017 at age 91, arranged for Paddington to visit Buckingham Palace in the book “Paddington at the Palace.”
Though Paddington never actually meets the queen in the book, he spots her in one of the palace's windows.
Earlier this year, the queen's friendship with Paddington was celebrated in an illustration by British artist Eleanor Tomlinson.
The image, which is being shared by fans on social media following Her Majesty's death, depicts the pair walking hand-in-hand alongside one of the queen's beloved corgis.