Daily Express Royal Editor with Steiff limited edition teddy based on Queen Elizabeth II (Image: Philip Coburn/Daily Mirror)
It may be just 30cm tall and made from mohair, but this limited-edition teddy bear has perfectly captured Queen Elizabeth II’s likeness. From her trademark brightly coloured coat, pearl necklace and wry smile, the plush bear from toy company Steiff is instantly recognisable as our former monarch.
The keepsake item, available to buy now, was the mastermind of Nicolas Metz, managing director at curated collectable retailer Galerista, who wanted to create something special to mark what would have been Queen Elizabeth’s 100th birthday.
“It is much more than a bear,” he tells the Daily Express. “It’s a keepsake and it embodies what the Queen stood for: stability, her values.” It’s the first time the company has produced a royal bear in complete likeness to a royal, as previous editions have seen the traditional teddy wearing a medallion or necklace rather than a complete outfit.
The Queen’s bear was months in the making, with a special working group convening to decide on every minute detail, to perfect the sandy colouring, black boot-button eyes, delicate hand-stitched nose and slight smile that “was friendly, but not too friendly”.
Read more: Prince Harry admits feeling ‘lost, betrayed and powerless’ in emotional speech
Read more: New polling details Britain’s favourite royal – and it’s not Princess Kate
The Queen’s bear was months in the making (Image: Philip Coburn/Daily Mirror)
“This is how we all remember her,” says Nicholas. “The bright colourful monochrome outfit with a matching hat, the pearls, brooch, and handbag.”
Out of all of the thousands of outfits in every colour of the rainbow that the Queen wore over her 70-year reign, her lime green Stewart Parvin crepe coat and a matching hat by Rachel Trevor Morgan was chosen to best represent her. The striking colour perfectly reflected her “you have to be seen to be believed” motto, that a monarch’s presence was crucial to the institution’s popularity and relevance, explains Nicolas.
“Green was also one of her favourite colours, and she wore it on several important occasions, and it was the colour she wore for one of her last official engagements.”
The Queen wore a forest green dress coat and matching hat to the Service of Thanksgiving for Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey in March 2022, in tribute to her beloved husband’s official livery colour, known as Edinburgh Green.
And for the bumper weekend of Platinum Jubilee celebrations, she wore a vibrant shade of green on the Buckingham Palace balcony, the final time she was pictured standing at the iconic spot.
The bear is based on this outfit Queen Elizabeth wore at The Royal Windsor Cup in 2021 (Image: Getty)
“She wore green several times during her reign, such as in 2014 for the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings, at Royal Ascot in 2017, 2018 and 2019 and her first official solo outing with Meghan Markle in Cheshire in 2019,” adds Nicolas. “But we chose to base the bear on when she wore it to the Royal Windsor Cup in 2021 with the Vanguard Rose Brooch.”
Elizabeth II received the diamond floral brooch in December 1944 when she launched HMS Vanguard at the age of 18.
“This will always serve to remind me that the first important public duty I ever undertook was a naval occasion,” she said after being presented with it by shipbuilders.
Set in dozens of white diamonds, the jewel features a wild rose among leaves and other blossoms with the stems tied with a neat bow.
The Queen wore it frequently during her youth and chose it for her first public engagement as monarch, the Royal Maundy Service at Westminster Abbey, just two months after her father, King George VI, died.
But after that significant outing, the brooch was confined to the royal vaults – until she wore it at the Guards Polo Club in Berkshire a year before her death.
It features embroidery in a matching shade of green to commemorate the Queen’s 100th birthday (Image: Philip Coburn/Daily Mirror)
“That’s one of the reasons we chose that outfit, the brooch has such a special meaning behind it, it wasn’t one that she wore all the time,” says Nicolas.
As with every detail of the bear, the brooch is handmade with crystals. “Every part is made from hand,” he adds. “The brooch, pearl necklace, hat and coat.”
The only part of the bear that deviates from the Queen’s traditional wardrobe is the pearly white handbag.
“She usually always wore a small black bag over her left hand,” concedes Nicolas. “But she did sometimes wear white, such as when she wore light shades such as yellow. We changed it from black as it’s more cheerful.”
Just 4,996 bears are available worldwide, with the unusual release number reflecting that Britain’s longest-serving monarch lived to 96. The bear is five-way jointed, so it’s fully movable, and features embroidery in a matching shade of green to commemorate the Queen’s 100th birthday.
The limited edition bear comes with a certificate of authenticity (Image: Philip Coburn/Daily Mirror)
Other highlights include Steiff’s signature ear tag and brass button, unique characteristics of the company known for inventing the Teddy Bear at the start of the 20th century.
The special bear retails for £289 and is presented in a high-quality souvenir bag and accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. The bears went on sale in Germany, where Galerista and Steiff are based, on April 4 and 200 have already been sold. But Nicholas expects them to be snapped up quickly by royalists and collectors alike, predicting they will sell out within four to six weeks.
As a highly collectable, limited-edition plush toy, The Queen Elizabeth II Bear is also set to increase in value exponentially, with Nicholas expecting it to replicate the popularity of the Karl Lagerfeld bear. Launched in 2008, the bear is modelled after the late fashion icon and just 2,500 pieces were released. They initially retailed at £750 but now sell at auction for upwards of £4,000 – an increase of over 433%.
But the late Queen Elizabeth II’s popularity across the globe is set to blow the German fashion designer’s bear out of the water, with Nicholas noting that across Europe people still miss the royal who was so highly revered.
Queen Elizabeth often wore green, and chose the colour for her Platinum Jubilee Pageant (Image: Getty)
And the company isn’t going to stop there. It plans to replicate the success of the Queen’s bear with other royals. “We plan to bring out a collectable of her beloved corgis, as they were a key part of her identity and who she was behind closed doors,” says Nicholas.
The company is also working on introducing a Prince Philip bear that perfectly captures his unique personality, with potential scope for a King Charles bear and special edition runs on the Prince and Princess of Wales.
Ian Munro, Director of International Sales at Steiff, says: “The Queen may have been physically slight, but her presence was immense. With her striking outfits in vibrant tones, she deliberately ensured she would be visible even in the largest crowds. Our anniversary Teddy bear reflects this image.”
He adds: “April 21 will be a very moving date for many people. With her death, the world lost not only a Queen, but a part of history. It’s our absolute honour to mark the occasion in the only way we know how at Steiff – with a beautifully handcrafted bear that captures hearts now, and will be passed down the generations for people to cherish for decades to come – much like the legacy of Queen Elizabeth II herself.”
The limited edition 100 Years of a Queen – Elizabeth II Steiff Bear, £289, is available to buy from galerista.co.uk