They may go together like chalk and cheese, but it turns out that Prince Charles’ close friendship with the late comedic legend, Joan Rivers, may not have been so unusual after all.
Following the 81-year-old’s death on Friday, the Prince of Wales paid tribute to his good friend, describing the TV host as an “extraordinary woman.”
“(Joan) was an extraordinary woman with an original and indefatigable spirit, an unstoppable sense of humour and an enormous zest for life,” he said in a statement released by Clarence House.
“She will be hugely missed and utterly irreplaceable.”
Joan died in a New York hospital one week after going into cardiac and respiratory arrest during a routine operation on her vocals chords.
So exactly how did the future King of Britain and the widely-hailed queen of comedy come to be greatest of pals.
Related: Celebrity mourners pay their respects at Joan Rivers’ funeral
Well, it all started back in 2003 when the seemingly unlikely duo first crossed paths while holidaying in the south of France.
Chatting to People Magazine last year, the former Fashion Police star spoke of the time she was introduced to the Prince while staying at his country home, Highgrove.
“We sat next to each other at a dinner party and got friendly,” she said.
“He’s darling.”
Related: Joan Rivers has died, aged 81
And while to the outside world the pair appeared to be the polar opposites, they proved to have plenty in common.
So much so, that Prince Charles invited the comedienne to his highly-publicised wedding to Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, in 2005.
Known to love a good laugh, His Royal Highness also requested Joan perform at a number of royal events, including his 60th birthday party.
“(Charles) was a big fan of Rivers,” former chief executive of the Prince’s Trust, Sir Tom Shebbear told People.
“She was a riveting personality and he found her very funny. He found her very irreverent, anti-establishment – and her being like that around the epitome of the establishment such as the royal family was daring.”
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