Prince William and Harry's bodyguard who walked behind Diana's hearse dies as tributes pour in
7 April 2025, 09:09 | Updated: 8 April 2025, 09:49
Prince William and Harry's bodyguard, who walked behind Princess Diana's hearse, has died aged 77.
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Graham "Crackers" Craker served as the princes' personal protection officer for 15 years.
His cause of death is unknown.
The royal bodyguard was with the princes when they found out their mother Diana had been killed in a car crash in Paris in 1997.
On the day of Diana's funeral, Craker walked with the young royals behind their mother's hearse as it was transported from St James' Palace to Westminster Abbey.
Harry mentioned Craker in his controversial memoir Spare as he recalled his memories from the funeral.
He wrote: "The driver had to keep pulling over so the bodyguard could get out and clear the flowers off the windscreen.
“The bodyguard was Graham. Willy and I liked him a lot. We always called him Crackers. We thought that was hysterical.”
Craker shared his own memories of when he heard about the princess' death in 2017.
Speaking to the New York Post, he said: "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.'"
Craker was invited to Prince William's wedding to Kate Middleton in 2011, despite having retired from bodyguard duties ten years prior.
After his retirement, Craker volunteered for a number of charities including Southern Maltings creative centre.
Colleagues at the charity shared a tribute online following his death, writing: "Today it is with much sadness that we must share that our friend and colleague, Graham Craker, has sadly died.
"Graham has been on our journey almost from the very beginning, and has been behind our bar for the whole of that time, making sure everyone has the best of times.
"While to the most important people in his life Graham was a father, and grandfather, to us he was a valued friend and colleague.
"He was the only volunteer to have a set of keys to the building, such is the measure of how trusted and respected he was, and it was not unusual to find him around, even when there was no event, because he wanted to make sure the bar was clean, stocked and ready for everyone else.
"But mostly, those of us who worked events, he will be remembered for his laugh, his warmth and the way he always just wanted to help people.
"From a career in the police, as a member of the protection squad, a huge driving force in the rotary and eventually a key volunteer at the Southern Maltings, so many people are going to miss our very own James Bond.
"Our broken hearts go out to his family and everyone who knew him."
