'One of our greatest writers': King pays tribute to Sir Tom Stoppard

King Charles III and Queen Camilla led tributes to celebrated playwright Sir Tom Stoppard, who died peacefully at 88

sarah

Nov 30, 2025 - 15:50

'One of our greatest writers': King pays tribute to Sir Tom Stoppard

King Charles III and Queen Camilla paid tribute to renowned playwright Sir Tom Stoppard, who died at the age of 88, calling him "one of our greatest writers."

They said, "A dear friend who took his talent lightly, he could, and did, wield his pen on any subject, challenging his audience, inspiring them, and drawing inspiration from his own personal story."

Sir Tom, who won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for the screenplay of Shakespeare in Love, "passed away peacefully at home in Dorset surrounded by his family," his agents said on Saturday.

Tributes have poured in from around the world for the playwright, who captivated audiences with his philosophical and political works for more than six decades.

The King and Queen said they were "deeply saddened" by Sir Tom's death and sent their condolences to his family.

"We send our heartfelt condolences to his loving family. Let us all take comfort from his immortal line: 'Look at every exit as an entrance to somewhere else.'"

This line is from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, one of his most famous stage works, which also includes The Real Thing.

Paying tribute to his "favorite playwright," Sir Mick Jagger posted on social media: "He has left us a magnificent collection of intellectual and funny works. I will miss him forever."

Sir Tom's friend, writer Robert Harris, praised his talent and joy for life.

"He lived the most wonderful life I can imagine. He was so talented, he was so happy, so funny, and he enjoyed life. He would come here for lunch in the summer, and he would still be smoking, and he was actually making notes to write all summer," The Times reported. Kathy Lette, the Australian-British author of the 1979 novel "Puberty Blues," remembered Sir Tom as "one of the funniest people I've ever met."

Sharing a photo of him on social media, she wrote: "A conversation with him would leave you reeling with irreverence and imaginative banter."

Sir Tom received numerous honors and accolades throughout his career, including being knighted by the late Queen in 1997 for his services to literature.

He also wrote for film, TV, and radio. In 2012, he adapted Leo Tolstoy's novel "Anna Karenina" for a film starring Keira Knightley and Jude Law.

In 2020, he released his semi-autobiographical new work, "Leopoldstadt," set in the Jewish quarter of early 20th-century Vienna. It later won him an Olivier Award for Best New Play and four Tony Awards.

Nicholas Hytner, who directed Stoppard's play "The Hard Problem" at London's National Theatre 10 years ago, praised the playwright's "astonishing generosity and curiosity about the work of others."

According to The Guardian, "He was a great writer and a wonderful host, but those of us who knew and worked with him will remember him as someone who enriched the lives of those he touched."

The Olivier Awards organization, which recognizes outstanding works in theater, said West End theaters will dim their lights for two minutes on December 2 at 19:00 BST to remember the playwright.

A post on X stated that Sir Tom had won three Olivier Awards and five Tony Awards for Broadway theatre, as well as an Oscar for Shakespeare in Love.

It said, "This recognition reflects the remarkable range and lasting impact of his work on both stage and screen." Rupert Goold, artistic director of the Almeida Theatre, described Sir Tom as "the most supportive, most generous man" whose "magic was present in everything he wrote."

Born as Tomas Straussler in Czechoslovakia, his parents fled Nazi occupation when he was still a child and moved to Singapore, where his father died in a Japanese prison camp.

He, his mother, and brother fled before the Japanese invasion and went first to Australia, later to India. There, his mother met and married an Englishman, Major Kenneth Stoppard, then moved to England.

He later learned from relatives that all four of his grandparents were Jewish and had died in Nazi concentration camps.

"I feel very lucky that I didn't have to live or die. It's a special part of a wonderful life," he told the US magazine Talk in 1999, as he contemplated returning to his native Zlín, now in the Czech Republic.

Lyricist Sir Tim Rice said he was "amazed by almost everything" about Sir Tom.

"He could combine intellectual arguments and philosophical thinking with his wit and humor, and this was evident in Rosencrantz & Guildenstern, his first major success. I was very impressed, but he also became my friend, and I was very proud to have known him," he said.

"He has written at least half a dozen, maybe twice as many, plays that will live on for a very, very long time—no matter how brilliant the plays are, they will be."