Shhh - don't tell C&H but ..

Pooh Bear unveils 80th birthday portrait

Winnie the Pooh has joined the Queen in having an 80th birthday portrait.

Jane Bown, who photographed the monarch earlier this year in celebration of her 80th, was given exclusive access to Britain's beloved bear at Hundred Acre Wood in Sussex.

Ms Bown, a distinguished octogenarian herself whose previous subjects have included Sir Mick Jagger, John Lennon, Muhammad Ali and Samuel Beckett, said: "It was a happy experience and I was totally enchanted by him."

Pooh has been invited to attend the Children's Party at Buckingham Palace on Sunday June 25 to honour the Queen's birthday with the biggest celebration of British children's literature.

The first book featuring AA Milne's famous character was published in October 1926. Hundred Acre Wood is based on Ashdown Forest, which was near the author's country home Cotchford Farm.

Courtesy of the London Daily Mail