Queen Camilla visited the Hundred Acre Woods on Tuesday—or
rather, Ashdown Forest, the landscape that inspired A.A. Milne’s
setting for his beloved Winnie the Pooh series of
children’s novels.
To celebrate the
100th anniversary of the first Winnie the Pooh
story published, Queen Camilla joined staff, authors, and children
in East Sussex for a series of engagements near the home Milne and
his family occupied when he wrote the books.
Queen Camilla opened the Queen’s Walk all-weather trail to
commemorate the centenary, and indulged in a game of pooh-sticks,
where players drop twigs from one side of a bridge into the water
below and race to the other side of the bridge to see who’s twig is
winning.
Queen Camilla played against three young people who won a
Winnie the Pooh-themed poetry competition.
In a
speech, Queen Camilla said of the beloved Pooh Bear that he is
a “universal hero, people love him and his friends all over the
world. They’ll come pouring in to see this new trail. A lovely
experience for all, and especially children.”
In April, Queen Camilla traveled to the United States with a
stuffed animal to complete the collection of original Winnie the
Pooh stuffies at the New York Public Library.
The Library is home to the original Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore,
Tigger, Piglet, Rabbit and Kanga stuffed animals that Milne’s son
played with in the 1920s; a missing Roo was specially commissioned
by The Queen to complete the set, and was presented during the
royal couple’s visit to New York.
Queen Camilla also took the time to read from Winnie the
Pooh during her visit to the New York Public Library.
On Tuesday, Queen Camilla paid her visit to Ashdown Forest in
her role as patron of the Royal Literary Fund, her first engagement
since becoming its patron. For nearly 240 years, the Fund has
supported authors with financial gifts so they can continue
writing.
Queen Camilla became patron in 2024, succeeding after her
mother-in-law, the late Queen Elizabeth II.
