Former Royal Valet Dies Of A.I.D.S. (Press, 7 October 1986)

Stephen Barry, a former personal valet to Prince Charles, passed away at the age of 37 from acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), as confirmed by a close friend on 7 October 1986. His friend, public relations expert Stephen Hayter, disclosed that Barry had been admitted to a London hospital on Friday suffering from pneumonia and subsequently died from a cerebral haemorrhage. Barry, who gained notoriety after selling his story to an American magazine in 1981, had broken Buckingham Palace's strict code of silence that binds its employees from revealing details about the Royal Family's private affairs. This breach of protocol not only sullied his relationship with the Royal Family but also ignited a significant uproar. Buckingham Palace declined to comment on his death, stating that Barry was no longer affiliated with the Royal household. Having started his career as a footman, Barry eventually became a trusted aide to Prince Charles. His revelations reportedly earned him around £250,000 (approximately NZD 720,000). Throughout his life, Barry was openly homosexual and had frequented homosexual establishments in London. He had acknowledged being a carrier of the AIDS virus, though he had not publicly declared that he had the disease. Hayter expressed sorrow over Barry's death, describing it as a tragic but expected outcome. Despite his past controversies, Barry's passing marks the end of a life that had seen both privilege and public scrutiny.

The text on this page is created, in the most part, using Generative AI and so may contain errors or omissions. It is supplied to you without guarantee or warranty of correctness. If you find an error or would like to make a content suggestion please get in contact

The text on this page is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 New Zealand