Dame Patricia Routledge's final public appearance – just weeks before her death

Dame Patricia Routledge made a public appearance in the weeks before her death. The legendary actress became a household name for her portrayal of Hyacinth Bucket in the BBC sitcom, Keeping Up Appearances.Patricia was beloved as the scheming Hyacinth who went to great lengths to shake off her 'working-class' roots.

After the show aired its final episode three decades ago, Dame Patricia took on less television work, including returning as Hetty Wainthropp, an episode of Talking Heads 2 and a string of documentaries. But while television work wasn't on her agenda, the Tranmere-born actress returned to her first love, the stage.

During her time at the University of Liverpool, while studying for a degree in English Language and Literature, she became involved in the dramatic society and later trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, with her final stage credit seeing her play Lady Markby in An Ideal Husband in 2014.

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Dame Patricia rarely made public appearancesin her final years, but her last was just weeks before she died. 27 years after Hetty Wainthropp Investigates ended, Dame Patricia was joined by her former co-star, Dominic Monaghan, as they enjoyed a dinner together

Taking to social media, Dominic shared a snap of himself and Dame Patricia while at a restaurant. He wrote alongside his image: "25 YEARS later! So wonderful to see Dame Patricia.

"We always shared a love of acting, of actors, of the natural world and all of the curiosities of life, it was fantastic to spend a couple of hours doing the same! She still tells fantastic stories, loves great food and wine, and as always is sharp as a tack, with fantastic skin and style.

"She taught me so much, and continues to do so, aging with a class and quality I hope to emulate. hettywainthroppinvestigates forever! #becurious." Several months before this, Dame Patricia posed alongside chef and restaurant owner Michael Newton-Young, as the actress dined in his Bognor Regis restaurant, Chez Moi.

"She was bright as a button – brilliant and lovely. She's completely compos mentis – sharp as a tack," Michael told The Argus. Confirming her death, a spokesperson for Dame Patricia said: "We are deeply saddened to confirm the passing of Dame Patricia Routledge, who died peacefully in her sleep this morning, surrounded by love.

"Even at 96 years old, Dame Patricia’s passion for her work and for connecting with live audiences never waned, just as new generations of audiences have continued to find her through her beloved television roles. She will be dearly missed by those closest to her and by her devoted admirers around the world."

Dame Patricia won an Olivier Award for her role as the Old Lady in Leonard Bernstein’s operetta Candide in 1988, and a Tony Award for her part as Alice Challice in Darling Of The Day in 1968, and worked in a number of productions across six decades.

She was born on February 17 1929, in Birkenhead, Merseyside, where her father was a high-class gents’ outfitter and “keeping up appearances” was the name of the game.

She read English at Liverpool University, where she appeared in student shows, later making her professional debut at the Liverpool Playhouse in 1952 as Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night's Dream.

She debuted in London two years later and went on to become well known on Broadway, appearing in musicals and the play, How’s The World Treating You?

Alongside the stage, she also made her mark on TV and became known for playing Kitty in Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV in the mid-1980s, before playing Hyacinth in the BBC's Keeping Up Appearances.

In 2017, she was honoured at Buckingham Palace as she was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire for her services to the theatre and charity.

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