On the day Princes William and Harry learned of their mother’s terrible car accident, the royal bodyguard who was with them passed away.

Nicknamed ‘Crackers’ by the two Princes, Graham Craker, 77, had served 35 years as a Metropolitan Police officer.

Before retiring in 2001, he had been the lads’ personal protection officer for 15 years.

Craker was with the couple in Balmoral, Scotland, on the day of Diana’s passing. They were accompanied by their grandparents, Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh, as well as their father, Prince Charles, who was then Prince Charles.

Speaking to the New York Post in 2017, Craker described hearing the news: “Perhaps the most emotional was seeing William the morning after.” 

I saw William walking his dog outside, and I walked up to him and said, “I’m very, very sorry to hear your bad news.” William very sadly said, “Thank you.”’

He said: “I was standing at the rear of the hearse and William looked up and acknowledged me. I looked toward him and nodded. William was comforted that I was with his mum on her final journey.”

“There were people in tears, on their knees crossing themselves, throwing flowers at the hearse.”

“The bit that amazed me is when we got on the northbound M1, even the southbound traffic had stopped and people got out of their cars and bowed in respect.”

Even in their own correspondence, the Princes’ affection for Craker was clear in their descriptions of their protection officer.