The Queen recently visited Ashdown Forest, the inspiration behind the original Hundred Acre Wood in A. A. Milne’s timeless books about Winnie-the-Pooh. Commemorating a century since the first Winnie-the-Pooh book was published in 1926, Camilla, who serves as the Royal Literary Fund’s patron, engaged in a game of ‘Pooh-Sticks’ at the iconic bridge featured in the stories.
During her visit, Camilla interacted with three children who had won a Winnie-the-Pooh-themed poetry contest organized by Ashdown Forest in collaboration with the Royal Literary Fund. She also had the opportunity to meet with Edward Kemp, the Chief Executive of the Royal Literary Fund, as well as children’s authors and illustrators, including Dame Julia Donaldson, Axel Scheffler, Jane Riordan, Sita Brahmachari, and Cerrie Burnell, to learn more about the fund’s work.
With Gyles Brandreth, who sported a Pooh sweater, reading a passage from The House at Pooh Corner to set the scene, the group used sticks from Buckingham Palace’s garden to play the game. Despite initial concerns about the water flow, the games went ahead smoothly, with Axel Scheffler emerging as the winner.
Camilla also took part in friendly competitions with three Winnie-the-Pooh poetry winners and children from St Mary the Virgin school. Expressing her joy at the experience, she later visited the A. A. Milne & E. H. Shepard Memorial and unveiled the Queen’s Walk, an all-weather trail in her honor. In her speech, she fondly recalled her childhood memories of playing Pooh Sticks and expressed gratitude for the warm reception.
The Queen highlighted the universal appeal of Winnie-the-Pooh, anticipating an influx of visitors to Ashdown Forest to explore the new trail and experience the charm of the beloved characters from the books. She thanked everyone for the memorable day and the opportunity to relive cherished childhood moments.