The Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex are mourning the loss of their ex-bodyguard who supported them through their mother Diana's death.
The Princes' former royal protection officer, Graham Craker, was affectionately nicknamed "Crackers" by William and Harry, and was by their side when the young royals learned of their mother's tragic death in a car crash in 1997.
Mr Craker passed away aged 77, and had remained close to the royal family even after his retirement in 2001 – attending Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding in 2011.
On the day of Diana's funeral in London on 6 September 1997, Mr Craker was sat in the front seat of the hearse as the Princess' coffin travelled to its final resting place.
Prince Harry reflected on the heartbreaking memory in his memoir, Spare, released in January 2023.
"The driver had to keep pulling over so the bodyguard could get out and clear the flowers off the windscreen," he wrote.
© Getty Images"The bodyguard was Graham. Willy and I liked him a lot. We always called him Crackers. We thought that was hysterical."
In an interview after the Princess died, Mr Craker spoke of the moment he learned of Diana's passing when William and Harry were staying at Balmoral in Scotland: "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."
© GettyMr Craker said he was left in "disbelief" when he found out the Princess had also been killed.
"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'."
© David Hartley/ShutterstockRecalling the day of the funeral, 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 I was with his mum on her final journey."
Mr Craker, who spent 35 years in the Met Police, was also made a member of the Royal Victorian Order by the late Queen Elizabeth II for services to the royal family.
He volunteered for a number of charities in Ware, Herts, during his retirement.
