A new Winnie-the-Pooh adventure has been released to celebrate the 90th birthday of both the Queen and the fictional bear. Winnie-the-Pooh and the Royal Birthday sees the much-loved character travel to Buckingham Palace with his friends Piglet, Eeyore and Christopher Robin after receiving a "Most Urgent" letter informing them of the Queen's special day.The bear and his friends make their way through London on an open-top bus, taking in sights including Trafalgar Square, and the Buckingham Palace Guards, before they have a chance meeting with the Queen, allowing Pooh to present their special birthday gifts.
Winnie-the-Pooh meets the Queen in the new birthday adventure
The story also features a special appearance by Prince George, who is described as "much younger than Christopher Robin and almost as bouncy as Tigger". He is given a red balloon by Piglet and is pictured patting him on the head and tickling Pooh's ears.The celebratory tale has been written by Jane Riordan and illustrated in the recognisable style of original illustrator E.H. Shepard. It is also available as an audio-video download, narrated by Jim Broadbent.
The sweet story also features a special appearance from Prince George
Jim said he had "loved being part of" the new adventure. "I have been a fan of Winnie-the-Pooh since I was a boy, in fact I named my very first and much loved teddy 'Pooh' and that can only have been after the A. A. Milne character," he said. "I've loved being part of this story to celebrate The Queen's 90th birthday and Winnie-the-Pooh's 90th anniversary; it's been an honour to narrate such an iconic story and I want to wish both Her Majesty The Queen and Winnie-the-Pooh a very Happy 90th!"
Pooh and his friends travel to Buckingham Palace
The Queen officially celebrates her 90th birthday on 11 June, although her actual birthday is 21 April 1926.The first Winnie-the-Pooh book, written by AA Milne, was published in October 1926, though the bear 'of very little brain' had previously featured in a poem and a tale in a newspaper.The Queen is said to have loved the stories of Winnie-the-Pooh as a child, and author AA Milne's collection of poems, Teddy Bear And The Other Songs From When We Were Very Young, was dedicated to her when it was published in 1926.Winnie-the-Pooh and the Royal Birthday is available for free here.