The royal bodyguard who was with Princes William and Harry on the day they found out about their mother’s tragic car crash has died.

He served as the boys’ personal protection officer for 15 years until he retired in 2001.  

On the day of Diana’s death, Craker was with the pair in Balmoral in Scotland, with their father the then-Prince Charles and their grandparents Queen Elizabeth and The Duke of Edinburgh. 

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.”’

On the day of the funeral, Craker accompanied William and Harry as they walked behind the hearse carrying their mother’s body as it made the journey from St James’s Palace to Westminster Abbey. 

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.

Prince William and Prince Harry’s former protection officer Graham Craker has died aged 77, The Sun revealed

The two young princes (pictured here in 1989 in their uniforms for Harry’s first day at Wetherby School in Notting Hill) nicknamed their bodyguard ‘Crackers’

Despite clashes as young boys, the brothers had been close. But relations have crumbled since Harry’s explosive autobiography and recent docu-series on Netflix. The pair are pictured in 1991 with mother Diana in Ontario, Canada

Craker rode up front in the hearse containing the coffin of Princess Diana as it left Westminster Abbey after the funeral service

On the day of Diana’s death, Craker was with the pair in Balmoral in Scotland, with their father the then-Prince Charles and their grandparents Queen Elizabeth and The Duke of Edinburgh. Pictured here on the day of Diana’s funeral

Craker, a Met Police officer for 35 years, is seen here (top left) watching the crowd during a public engagement by Princess Diana

‘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.’

The Princes’ fondness for Craker was evident in the way they spoke about their protection officer – including in their personal writings. 

In his memoir Spare, Harry 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.’

The extent of the Princes’ bond with Craker was also demonstrated by the fact he was a guest at the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton in 2011 – 10 years after he had quit his job as a royal bodyguard. 

Craker was appointed a Member of the Royal Victorian Order by the late Queen Elizabeth II for services to the Royal Family and made a Freeman of the City of London.

Later in life he worked with charities in Ware, including serving as a trustee for Always Bee You, a Hertfordshire based charity which supports adults with learning disabilities and mental health issues. 

Graham Craker (right) with other volunteers at the Southern Maltings creative centre in Ware

He also volunteered at Southern Maltings creative centre, who in a tribute post on Facebook on Thursday, affectionately referred to him as ‘our very own James Bond’. 

‘It is with much sadness that we must share that our friend and colleague, Graham Craker, has sadly died,’ they wrote. 

‘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, for 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. RIP Crackers, we’ll make sure you are remembered behind the bar and will raise a glass for you this evening.’