When I was a little girl, two of my favorite things were books and royalty. In particular, one of my favorite series was Winnie-the-Pooh and I have always had a soft spot for the British royal family. This year, these two interests coincide in a unique way. It marks the ninetieth birthday of Queen Elizabeth II and the ninetieth anniversary of the publication of Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne. In honor of the occasion, author Jane Riordan and illustrator Mark Burgess have created a new story where these two famous personalities meet. This charming story (featuring an appearance from Prince George) will delight readers and royal watchers of all ages. Disney has also released an audio version of the story performed by Oscar-winning actor Jim Broadbent (aka Professor Horace Slughorn from the Harry Potter series). Below is an excerpt from the story and the video of the audio version. Enjoy! 

“What the friends didn’t realise was that Pooh Bear had arrived in the Forest in the very same year that Princess Elizabeth was born. But time is a tricky thing; years begin by lazing along slowly and then suddenly, up they jump and off they trot as quickly as ever they can. To Winnie-the-Pooh, it felt like just yesterday that he had come bumping down those stairs. Bump, bump, bump. And that is just the way it should be.”

–Winnie-the-Pooh and the Royal Birthday

– written by Jane Riordan and illustrated by Mark Burgess 

H/T Royal Central

“The Queen isn’t the only one celebrating their 90th birthday this year, so is Winnie the Pooh and to celebrate both of their birthdays –  a new story has been released about their meeting.

Winnie-The-Pooh and The Royal Birthday is the adventure of Pooh bear taking a trip to Buckingham Palace with Christopher Robin, Eeyore and Piglet to give Queen Elizabeth a birthday gift after travelling through London on a red double decker bus to see the sites. The story, which is available free at http://www.Disney.co.uk/WinnieRoyalBirthday, comes both as an illustrated story and an audio-video edition narrated by Oscar-winning actor Jim Broadbent.”

For the entire story, please see Royal Central

For more information about the story, please see Disney Inspired