Artist's enduring pride at viral Queen sketch

An artist whose sketch of the late Queen and Paddington Bear went viral almost four years ago says it feels "surreal" that people are still talking about it.

In June 2022, Eleanor Tomlinson's artwork featuring Queen Elizabeth II hand in hand with Paddington Bear touched the nation.

On Sunday, Tomlinson, from East Yorkshire, appeared on a special edition of BBC One's Antiques Roadshow, which marked what would have been the late Queen's 100th birthday.

"I feel very honoured to have this piece that's now become a little slice of our popular culture," she told BBC Radio Humberside. "It's very surreal."

Queen Elizabeth II died on 8 September 2022, aged 96. She would have turned 100 on 21 April.

To mark the centenary, a special episode of Antiques Roadshow was filmed at Windsor Castle.

Tomlinson reflected on her work that was shared far and wide during the Platinum Jubilee, which celebrated the late monarch's 70 years on the throne.

The artist told BBC Radio Humberside: "It's mad. When I did that, I was thinking it was just this little thing.

"To still be talking about it over three and a half years later... is absolutely crazy."

Tomlinson said her interview was filmed in December 2025.

"I kept it very close to my chest," she said. "You don't know if it's going to make the final show."

Tomlinson said she was not told the filming would go ahead until the day before because it had to go through official channels, including the palace.

"It was all a bit of a blur really and I remember feeling very stressed," she said.

"When I watched it last night, I could breathe a sigh of relief."

Tomlinson added: "I'm so glad that I've been able to see it now. It was a wonderful experience."

Not long after her sketch went viral, Tomlinson gifted a print of a corgi wearing a crown to the Queen and received a Royal thank you letter.

Her work recently featured on the Easter cover of the TV Times.

Tomlinson said she would be launching a new piece of artwork on Tuesday to commemorate what would have been the Queen's 100th birthday.

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