Gyles spoke at The Oldie Literary Lunch on Somewhere, a Boy and a Bear: A Biography of A. A. Milne and Winnie-the-Pooh. He once talked to the late Queen about Rupert Bear. He said, ‘Many people think Rupert is a boy with a bear’s head.' She answered, 'There are some things in life it’s better not to know.'
The Queen loved Winnie-the-Pooh, not least because A. A. Milne dedicated the 1928 Hums of Pooh to her, the first ever book to which she was the dedicatee. In the Dolls’ House at Windsor, there is a miniature book of Pooh written in A. A. Milne’s own hand.
While researching the book, Gyles travelled to Jamaica. On the beach, he noticed a wizened figure approaching him, looking like an old woman. As the figure came closer, he realised who it was. Mick Jagger.
