On the Day Diana Died, the Princes Lost More Than Their Mother
The tragic day Princes William and Harry learned of their mother Princess Diana’s fatal car crash was marked by another quiet heartbreak—the loss of their beloved royal bodyguard.
Graham Craker, affectionately known as “Crackers” by the young princes, passed away at the age of 77. A stalwart of the Metropolitan Police for 35 years, Craker spent 15 of those years as a trusted personal protection officer to William and Harry, becoming a steady and familiar presence in their lives.
He was with the princes at Balmoral Castle in Scotland when the devastating news of Diana’s death reached the family. Alongside them were their grandparents, Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh, as well as their father, Prince Charles.
Reflecting on that somber moment in a 2017 interview with the New York Post, Craker recalled the emotional toll:
“Perhaps the most emotional was seeing William the morning after.”
“I saw him walking his dog outside,” Craker said. “I walked up to him and said, ‘I’m very, very sorry to hear your bad news.’ William looked at me, so sadly, and simply said, ‘Thank you.’”
A man of duty and quiet compassion, Craker’s passing adds another layer of poignancy to the princes’ memory of that unimaginable day.
