Paul O'Grady's widower reveals reason he 'couldn't reply' when Camilla got in touch after his death
Following the tragic loss of his husband Paul O'Grady, Andre Portasio revealed he truthfully couldn't reply upon receiving a personal message from none other than Queen Camilla.
The late comedian and television host's widower shared his unexpected surprise when the Royal reached out to him after Paul's death.
Paul, known for his Lily Savage persona, passed away suddenly due to a cardiac arrhythmia back in March 2023, aged just 67. He died peacefully at their Kent residence, surrounded by his treasured dogs and loving husband.
Camilla held a special place in Paul's heart as the pair had a unique bond and in 2022, they collaborated on a festive episode of For the Love of Dogs.
Now, during an appearance on Loose Women, Andre shared his disbelief when the heartfelt letter from Camilla found its way to him. As he recalled: "I was shocked to receive a letter from her and, I must confess, it took me so long to reply. It's not every day that you receive a letter from the Queen."
Andre, reports the Mirror, continued: "So, I would wake up and think: 'I must reply to her letter', and I would sit down and I would be like: 'Dear Camilla...'", Andre then mimed tearing up paper and tossing it.
And once again, mimicking the process: "'Dear Queen Camilla..."' before enacting the throwing of the balled-up paper again. During the same interview, he discussed taking the dogs to say goodbye to Paul. He was inspired to do so by one woman who wrote him a letter.
He said: "I received so many letters. A lot of people didn't know the address, so you would receive the letter and it would be 'Paul O'Grady, home, Kent'. I opened this one letter and it was an old lady, I think she was 85, and she was very worried about the dogs, and that the dogs needed to say goodbye.
"And that stayed at the back of my mind, I thought I must attend to this," he said. "Just before he was buried, I took the dogs to say goodbye and it was really interesting to see that some of them engaged with Paul, but others they just swept out as if he wasn't there anymore. They're doing fabulous [now]."
Paul and Andre, who was 25 years his junior, got married in 2017 after dating for 12 years. They tied the knot at the Goring Hotel in Central London during in a 30-minute ceremony. The TV star later admitted he had never considered marrying Andre until fellow comic Julian Clary suggested it.
Andre announced the presenter's death in a heartbreaking statement last March and wrote: "He will be greatly missed by his loved ones, friends, family, animals and all those who enjoyed his humour, wit and compassion. I know that he would want me to thank you for all the love you have shown him over the years."
