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King Charles' hospital phone call to Barry Humphries revealed: 'Admired him'
The late Aussie comedian and King Charles have been firm friends for years.
King Charles spoke with the late comedian Barry Humphries just before he passed away at the age of 89 over the weekend.
The comedy legend, who was best known for his alter egos Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson, died on Saturday at St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney.
While he was in hospital, Barry received a call from King Charles, with whom he had a great friendship with.
Film director Bruce Beresford confirmed the pair had spoken after he visited his friend’s side in the hospital.
“Barry said, 'Well, I always admired him. We always got on well and I really liked his company and enjoyed being with him',” he told The Australian.
”'Barry was one of those people, he had great capacity for friendship. He was so interested in people.”
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Indeed, Barry spoke of his admiration for King Charles and his wife Camilla in a Facebook post, where he uploaded a hilarious video from the 2013 Royal Variety Performance.
In the clip, Barry, dressed as Dame Edna, enters the royal box at the show, sitting down right next to a then Prince Charles and a beaming Camilla.
"Me with Prince Charles and Camilla at the Royal Variety Show. I absolutely ADORE them!" he captioned the video.
Breaking royal protocol, Dame Edma grasps Camilla's arm in a playful way before a security guard enters the box and whispers into Edna’s ear.
“I’m so sorry. They’ve found me a better seat,” she says in the clip, with Prince Charles and Camilla exploding into fits of laughter.
Pictures from backstage show the couple laughing with Dame Edna, while snaps from previous performances also show the Aussie star shaking hands with the Queen and Prince Philip.
During Today’s coverage of Barry’s death over the weekend, Nine Entertainment Editor Richard Wilkins reassured fans he continued to make jokes while ill.
“Apparently in hospital he was still cracking people up. He’s saying, ‘No, I’ve got this new hip. You can call me ‘Bionic Bazza’,” he revealed.
“That must have taken a lot of energy from him but he kept people entertained, the showman.”
Over the weekend, Barry’s family released a statement after his sad death, saying:
“He was completely himself until the very end, never losing his brilliant mind, his unique wit and generosity of spirit,” the Humphries family said in a statement after he passed.
“With over seventy years on the stage, he was an entertainer to his core, touring up until the last year of his life and planning more shows that will sadly never be.
“His audiences were precious to him, and he never took them for granted.”
The Aussie star is survived by his fourth wife Elizabeth Spender, his four children and 10 grandchildren.
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