Blanche d'Alpuget Recalls Bob Hawke And Prince Charles Looking At Topless Women With Binoculars During Royal Tour
Six months on from the death of Bob Hawke, his wife Blanche d'Alpuget has sat down to reveal everything from the former Prime Minister's love of politics to his numerous affairs.
Speaking to The Sunday Project's Lisa Wilkinson, d'Alpuget said she has been a "wreck" for the last six months as she tried to come to terms with the death of her husband of 25 years.
d'Alpuget said she received thousands of messages of support from the public and has even had people stop her in the supermarket to share their condolences.
"I'd be trying to buy cauliflower and someone would come up and go: 'I just wanted to say', and I'd cry on the cauliflower," she said.
But there was one message in particular that d'Alpuget is keeping close to her heart -- a card from Prince Charles who had shared fond memories with Hawke when he and Diana visited Australia on a Royal tour.
"It was very eloquent and affectionate in its expression," d'Alpuget said of the letter.
In a candid moment, d'Alpuget told Wilkinson of how Hawke could still "loosen up" even in front of Royalty, sharing how the then Prime Minister and the Prince of Wales had watched women on boats during Australia Day celebrations.
"Bob and Charles are on deck and of course millions of small boats were on the harbour and a lot of naughty Sydney girls taking the tops of their bikinis off," d'Alpuget said.
"Charles had a pair of binoculars saying 'Prime Minister, there are a pair of beauties,'" d'Alpuget quoted the Prince as saying.
"They're blokes you know," she added, "and Diana was sitting downstairs."
Hawke's affairs were no secret to the Australian public.
The former Prime Minister was married to his first wife Hazel for many years and shared three children with her before Hawke broke off their union when he was ousted from the top job to marry his biographer and long-time mistress, d'Alpuget.
Their marriage was a very public controversy and d'Alpuget admitted to Wilkinson that it had been a "horrible" time for her when they first appeared publicly together.
But d'Alpuget said their attraction had been "instantaneous" despite both being married to other people when they first met at a party in Jakarta.
The pair stayed happily married until Hawke's final days, with d'Alpuget saying they loved to travel and meet all sorts of people in their 25 years together.
Asked how she thought Hawke would want to be remembered d'Alpuget said for his love of Australia.
"A man who loved his country and did his best to make it better."
Catch the full interview with Blanche d'Alpuget on The Sunday Project at 6:30pm on 10.
Featured Image: The Sunday Project
Contact the author: vgerova@networkten.com.au
