Australian entertainer Barry Humphries (1934-2023) died on Saturday (April 22) at the age of 89 at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney. The comedian was known for his art characters, including Dame Edna Everage, and became a popular TV star, especially in his native Australia and in Great Britain. With King Charles III. (74) he is said to have been on friendly terms.
The monarch is said to have expressed “sadness” at the death of the Australian icon, a spokesman for Sky News Australia said. “His Majesty is writing privately to Mr. Humphries’ family,” he continued. As “Sky News” also reports, Charles is said to have spoken to Humphries on the phone shortly before the comedian’s death. The Australian was treated in hospital after complications from an operation on his hip.
King Charles and Humphries have also met in public on several occasions. Among other things, the comedian appeared as Dame Edna Everage with the typical purple hair and oversized glasses in 2019 at the Royal Variety Performance in London and entered the royal box of the then prince and his wife Camilla (75) with laughter from the audience. Afterwards, Dame Edna joked that they had found a better place for her and left without further ado. According to the British “Daily Maily”, Humphries is said to have already declared in 2008 that Charles is the person he admires most in the world because “he does a lot of good work without anyone knowing about it”.
