Irish republican Pogues rocker Shane MacGowan cried his eyes out when Diana, the Queen and Philip died

Irish republican Pogues rocker Shane MacGowan cried his eyes out when Diana, the Queen and Philip died 

• The late punk rocker was a huge fan of the royals and cried when the Queen died 

The wife of the late punk rocker Shane MacGowan has revealed he was secretly a huge fan of the royals.

Victoria Mary Clarke says the staunch Irish republican, who died aged 65 last Thursday, was a very different man behind closed doors to his very cynical and boisterous public persona.

Speaking on R4’s Today programme yesterday (Sat), she revealed he liked to watch documentaries about the Royal Family, and cried when Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip and Diana died.

She added: ‘He always buying flowers and he was just a really romantic man.’

Meanwhile, a campaign is underway by his fans to make The Pogues’ Fairytale of New York the Christmas number one.

The song, released in 1987, is regularly named Britain’s favourite Christmas song in polls but has never secured first place in the charts, finishing second behind the Pet Shop Boys’ cover of Always On My Mind in the year of its release.

Victoria Mary Clarke says the staunch Irish republican, who died aged 65 last Thursday, was a very different man behind closed doors to his very cynical and boisterous public persona

It was revealed he liked to watch documentaries about the Royal Family, and cried when Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip and Diana died

Clarke, who married MacGowan in 2018 after being engaged for 11 years and in a relationship for decades, said she was ‘very much in favour’ of the push by Brits to get the song – a duet recorded with singer Kirsty MacColl – into the coveted festive top spot.

READ MORE: How Shane MacGowan first tried to make it on the punk scene by calling himself Shane O’Hooligan and pretending to enjoy cannibalism at gigs

MacGowan, then 19, with the only issue of his fanzine Bondage

The singer died at home in Dublin surrounded by his family after developing pneumonia, prompting an outpouring of tributes from across the globe.

It was revealed earlier this week that he had been battling a brain condition for eight years.

MacGowan had been battling viral encephalitis and was released from hospital just last week. 

Funeral details are yet to be confirmed for the frontman, whose death was announced in a heartbreaking statement issued on The Pogues’ social media accounts on behalf of the band and his wife, sister Siobhan and father Maurice. 

The statement read: ‘It is with the deepest sorrow and heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of Shane MacGowan.

‘Shane died peacefully at 3am this morning (30 November 2023) with his wife Victoria and family by his side.

‘Prayers and the last rites were read which gave comfort to his family. 

‘He is survived by his wife Victoria, his sister Siobhan and his father, Maurice, family and a large circle of friends.

‘Further details will be announced shortly but the family ask for privacy at this very sad time.’

Victoria later shared further tributes to her husband, whom she married in Copenhagen, Denmark in December 2018, on social media.

She shared an image of MacGowan smiling on X, formerly Twitter, and captioned it: ‘I am going to miss him so much! His smile, his eyes his laugh his sense of humour and his voice, every little part of him.’ 

MacGowan had been battling viral encephalitis and was released from hospital just last week

Shane MacGowan in hospital shortly before he was released on November 22, eight days before he died

She later revealed MacGowan had spent his final months binging on the Channel 4 Irish comedy classic Father Ted.

She brought him a portable DVD player in hospital – and said he couldn’t get enough of the Graham Linehan show about a pair of hapless priests living off of Ireland’s west coast.

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