William and Harry’s ex-bodyguard, who was with them when Princess Diana was killed, dies aged 77

Prince William and Prince Harry have been left devastated after their longtime bodyguard — who walked behind Princess Diana’s hearse — dies.

Princes William and Harry are mourning the loss of their former bodyguard, Graham Craker — the man who was with them when they learned of their mother Princess Diana’s death.

Craker, 77, affectionately nicknamed “Crackers” by the young princes, played a quiet but powerful role in the brothers’ lives.

He walked behind Diana’s hearse alongside the royal family as it travelled from St James’s Palace to Westminster Abbey for her funeral in 1997.

Later, he took a seat in the front of the hearse carrying the Princess to her final resting place at Althorp House.

Princess Diana with Graham Craker in the back. Picture: Getty Images

Graham Craker was the bodyguard to Prince William and Prince Harry. Picture: Getty Images

Footage from the day captured Craker stepping out of the vehicle to clear away the masses of flowers thrown by grieving crowds.

In his memoir Spare, Prince Harry recalled the emotional scene and said: “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.”

Thousands of mourners watching Diana’s hearse travelling along Finchley Road in north London.

Mourners throw flowers as police motorcycle riders escort hearse carrying body of Diana, Princess of Wales to her final resting place at family's Althorp Estate following her London funeral service,.

Craker had long been a trusted presence in the princes’ lives. He was pictured with William and Harry during a family day out at Alton Towers in April 1994, and he remained close enough to be a guest at Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding at Westminster Abbey in 2011.

A veteran of the Metropolitan Police, Craker dedicated 35 years to service, with 15 of those spent as a royal protection officer until his retirement in 2001.

In recognition of his service, he was appointed a Member of the Royal Victorian Order by Queen Elizabeth II.

Following his retirement, Craker remained active in his community, volunteering for local charities in Ware, Hertfordshire.

In a rare interview, he described the moment he learned of Diana’s fatal car crash while at Balmoral with the Royal Family.

The family walk outside Westminster Abbey during the funeral service for Diana. Picture: AFP Photo

“I crept down the stairs to the house phone and dialled the duty office at Buckingham Palace. They said there were reports there’d been an accident and Dodi Fayed had been killed and the Princess had a broken arm,” he said.

Upon hearing that Diana had also died, he said:

“It was disbelief, really, and obviously a great deal of sorrow. You try and deal with it as best you can but you do get quite emotional about it.”

“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’.”

Reflecting on the funeral, Craker shared: “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 I was with his mum on her final journey.”