The only Australian to ever hold the role of private secretary to the late Queen, Sir William Heseltine, has died at the age of 96.

The WA-born royal servant lived in an unassuming and quiet home in a leafy suburb of Perth following his retirement in 1990.

Sir William remained in close contact with Queen Elizabeth II until her death, often sending her letters and receiving them from her.

As a boy he attended Christ Church Grammar School in Claremont, followed by the University of Western Australia, before being recruited to the Prime Minister’s department and later joining the press office at Buckingham Palace.

Sir William witnessed many historic events from his unique vantage point as a member of the royal household staff, including the 1975 dismissal of former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam by the Queen’s representative, Governor-General Sir John Kerr.

In an interview with The West Australian in 2022, he remembered his former boss as a warm and intelligent woman.

“I think, like everybody who met the Queen, I came out of the room feeling rather uplifted,” he said at the time.

“And that, I think, applied all through the years that I was there. One never felt anything but the better for conversation with her.”

Former Liberal Prime Minister John Howard on Friday acknowledged Sir William as a “true son of Western Australia, who served his nation, his Sovereign and the political party of his choice with great distinction”.

“The pinnacle of his extensive career was surely his having been private secretary to Queen Elizabeth II from 1986 to 1990,” Mr Howard said in a statement.

“Consistent with his sense of duty and integrity, he maintained an appropriate separation between his political inclinations and the advice he provided in his roles within the Palace.

“Bill Heseltine was a dedicated servant of the causes in which he believed, most importantly the welfare of Australia.”

After being awarded first-class honours in history at the University of Western Australia, Sir William joined the Prime Minister’s department in 1951.

He was private secretary to Australia’s longest-serving Prime Minister, Sir Robert Menzies, for four years and acting official secretary for a brief period to the then Governor-General, Lord De L’Isle.

Mr Howard said Sir William was a strong supporter of the Liberal Party.

“For two years, he was assistant federal director of the party and retained for the rest of his life a strong interest in its fortunes,” he said.

“In 1964, he was attached to the press office at Buckingham Palace in London. This began his long association with the late Queen.

“He became her press secretary in 1968. He then progressed and ultimately became the Queen’s Private Secretary, the only Australian ever to be appointed to this position.”

After serving at Buckingham Palace, Sir William became a company director in 1991. His roles included serving as Chairman of NZI Insurance Australia Ltd.

He was awarded many British and Australian honours including becoming a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) in 1988.

“I record my gratitude for his years of dedicated service,” Mr Howard added. “And extend my sympathy to his widow Diana Lady Heseltine and the other members of his family.”