Paul O’Grady’s husband has revealed that he received two touching letters from Queen Camilla following the TV star’s death. The pair had worked together in support of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, making several public appearances together.
Andre Portasio confessed that he hasn’t yet responded to the letters.
He said: “Obviously, she’s the Queen of England, but for him she was just Camilla. You know, they could talk, and laugh, and just be normal with each other. I think probably that’s what she loved about him so much, apart from him being so funny of course.”
“I haven’t replied to her super-sweet letters yet, as I wasn’t sure how to go about it… do I write Dear Camilla or Your Majesty?” Andre joked. “Maybe on the anniversary of his death I will finally write to her.”
Andre also shared his plans to donate items to the VandA, stating that Lily Savage’s belongings are for “the nation”, reports the Mirror.
“There is an amazing history of items in our loft that he kept over the years that no one ever got to see,” he said. This collection includes his husband’s famous dresses and wigs, along with numerous pieces of memorabilia.
“I used to say to him that the Lily items were a slice of history but he was always very modest and called them a lot of tat,” Andre said. “I think by the end he was very tired of having to put on all the make-up and all the practical aspects of becoming Lily although he never fully retired her and she kept making comebacks.”
While Paul was alive, Andre managed to convince him to donate some items to the VandA, but there are countless other pieces he is now setting aside. “They don’t belong to me, they belong to the nation,” he said.
“I feel the audience at large would absolutely love to see them again, and it’s weighing on me very heavily how I take his legacy forward.”
Andre was speaking on the anniversary of Paul’s death. He said he was touched by the public’s reaction to his husband’s passing.
“I couldn’t leave the house for three weeks because people kept coming to leave flowers, cards, or even little miniature dogs. It just reinforced quite how popular and deeply loved he was.”
Andre said he didn’t want to be in the same house on the anniversary itself, adding: “I wanted to be as far away from it as possible in New Zealand. I don’t want to be anywhere near my kitchen where I found him, and be reminded of what happened.”
Heartwarmingly, he will take Paul’s passport with him. “It will feel like he’s coming with me anyway, which is what he would have loved as he couldn’t do long-haul flights as he got older,” he shares.
“But he would have loved New Zealand, and on the day in question, I will remember him quietly in my own way.”
