Timothy West's son Samuel has revealed that the actor's wife Prunella Scales is 'not well enough to take in' that he has died. 

Timothy passed away in his sleep last month at the age of 90 leaving behind his beloved spouse, Fawlty Towers star Prunella. 

But Samuel has told The Sunday Times that as a result of her dementia, Prunella, 92, has not been able to fully take in that her husband has passed away. 

Prunella was diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2014 but symptoms developed as early as 2001 - and husband Timothy cared for her throughout.  

Of how his mother is coping following Timothy's death, Samuel said: 'All I am going to say is she’s not really well enough to take it all in.' 

Timothy and Prunella tied the knot in 1963, 12 years before she played the iconic role that she would forever be associated with - as Sybil Fawlty in the cult-classic TV series Fawlty Towers. 

They worked together on several stage shows and in 2014 they started the hugely popular Channel 4 TV show, Great Canal Journeys, which featured the pair indulging in their shared love for travelling and navigating narrowboats across canals in Europe, Egypt and India.

But four years ago, the couple announced they would step down from the programme due to Prunella's deteriorating memory condition and hearing loss.

Her short-term memory had been severely affected by her dementia and she frequently could not remember things she did or said just a few minutes earlier, Timothy revealed at the time. 

When the couple met in the early 1960s, Timothy had just ended his marriage of five years to actress Jacqueline Boyer, with whom he had a daughter, Juliet. 

His next to Prunella, in 1963, would last more than six decades, such was their touching strength of commitment to one another.

Timothy documented their story in Pru & Me: A Love Story, a book released last year marking their diamond anniversary.

It was on the set of period TV drama She Died Young - which Prunella would go on to describe as 'a terrible play' - where the pair of burgeoning actors fell for each other in 1961, and began a romantic tradition they would keep up for the rest of their lives.

On Loose Women last year, Timothy revealed that when he and Prunella were in between takes, they would spend their time doing crosswords and writing letters to one another. 

He said: 'Pru and I had certain amounts of time off. We spent a lot of time doing crosswords and writing letters to each other. 

'This is something that has gone on all our lives.'

The distinguished actor continued: 'We love writing letters about something that the other person might have missed or not quite understood. We would make each other laugh and make each other find out about things.'

The couple welcomed two sons - Joseph (Joe) and actor Samuel.

Prunella's big break in acting came with the early 1960s sitcom Marriage Lines opposite Richard Briers, before she landed the role of overbearing spouse Sybil in Fawlty Towers.

It was around this time that Timothy too began building his career, having already established himself on stage with the Royal Shakespeare Company playing such iconic roles as Shylock, Falstaff and Macbeth.

He also famously played King Lear four times over four decades.

But in 1975 he became a household name on the small screen in the major TV series Edward the Seventh, in which he played the title role from the age of 23 until the King's death. In 2013 he moved in soaps, starring in EastEnders. 

But friends of Timothy acknowledged that to him, the most important roles were those of a devoted husband and father.

That became all the more apparent after Prunella was formally diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2014, though the signs of her illness were there long before.

Timothy revealed in his book that the actress kept slipping her lines during a 2003  production of Oscar Wilde's A Woman Of No Importance at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in London.

'Dropping out would have devastated her,' he wrote. 'Very reluctantly, she was persuaded to use prompters — or "idiot boards", as she called them, that were placed around the stage out of sight of the audience.'

In an interview with the BBC last year, Timothy said he recalled every word of that life-changing moment when a doctor finally diagnosed her condition: 'We went to see a specialist who said, "Sorry, this is just something which happens to you when you are older and it's not going to get any easier, but you can cope with it. Don't let it get you down."' 

WHAT IS DEMENTIA?

A GLOBAL CONCERN 

Dementia is an umbrella term used to describe a range of progressive neurological disorders (those affecting the brain) which impact memory, thinking and behaviour. 

There are many types of dementia, of which Alzheimer’s disease is the most common.

Some people may have a combination of different types of dementia.

Regardless of which type is diagnosed, each person will experience dementia in their own unique way.

Dementia is a global concern but it is most often seen in wealthier countries, where people are likely to live into very old age.

HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE AFFECTED?

The Alzheimer's Society reports there are more than 900,000 people living with dementia in the UK today. This is projected to rise to 1.6 million by 2040.

Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia, affecting between 50 and 75 per cent of those diagnosed.

In the US, it's estimated there are 5.5 million Alzheimer's sufferers. A similar percentage rise is expected in the coming years.

As a person’s age increases, so does the risk of them developing dementia.

Rates of diagnosis are improving but many people with dementia are thought to still be undiagnosed.

IS THERE A CURE?

Currently there is no cure for dementia.

But new drugs can slow down its progression and the earlier it is spotted, the more effective treatments can be.

Source: Alzheimer’s Society