King Charles paid a sweet tribute to Barry Humphries at his state memorial service held at Australia’s Sydney Opera House on Friday. As part of his lengthy message, he said “life won’t be the same” without the much-loved stage and screen veteran.
Barry died in April earlier this year aged 89 following complications from hip surgery. In honour of the Dame Edna Everage star, many of his loved ones and fans attended his memorial which was hosted by Australian TV presenter Richard Wilkins.
Opening proceedings, he began by thanking the late star’s family for their attendance in honour of their “husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and auntie”, in reference to his most well-known character Edna. After the Australian national anthem was played, Tony Burke, the country’s minister for the arts, took to the stage to read out a message from the monarch.
The message said: “I suspect that all those who appeared on stage or TV with Barry’s Dame Edna, or who found her appearing at the back of the royal box will have shared that unique sensation where fear and fun combine. Those who tried to stand on their dignity soon lost their footing. Those who wondered whether Australia’s housewife superstar might this time just go too far, were always proved right. No-one was safe.
“Barry Humphries, through his creations, poked and prodded us, exposed pretensions, punctured pomposity, surfaced insecurities, but most of all, (helped us) laugh at ourselves.” The King went on to say: “This cultured and erudite man, with his love of literature and the visual arts and passion for Weimar cabaret, could not have been more different from his various stage incarnations.”
He went on to say he was “deeply saddened, like so many” by Barry’s death, adding: “Life really won’t be the same without him. May our gladioli bloom in celebration of his memory.” Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also called Barry’s characters Dame Edna and Sir Les Patterson a great example of “the duality of power”. He added in a video: “[They make up] two halves of the one extraordinary whole. Two contrasting figures who ultimately balanced each other.
“No matter how unruly his creations became, it was Barry who had the final word. He brought people from every state and territory together and, in the process, this genius, this comedic giant, brought such joy to every part of Australia. Then, like a never-ending bunch of gladioli, he showered it upon the world.”
Sir Elton John also had nothing but praise for the late comedian, who he described as “one of the funniest people in the world”. The singer added he was “one of the kindest and most generous [people]” to him. After news of Barry’s death emerged, a royal spokesperson said Charles had penned a private letter to his family.
Barry’s friend Rowan Dean also told Sky News Australia that the monarch had spoken to him while he was in the hospital just hours before he died.
