Lee Sansum was Princess Diana's bodyguard for a month shortly before she died in 1997, and during his time protecting the royal, he made a misstep where he misspoke and was personally warned by Diana. In an unearthed interview from 2022, three years before Lee sadly suffered a fatal heart attack at home, he opened up about the moment to podcaster James English.
Lee, who Diana affectionately called "Rambo", spoke to Diana candidly during his time on duty, but one day he made the mistake of making a joke that didn't land well. Diana was a keen dancer, but her partner Dodi Al-Fayed wasn't as gifted at the skill, according to Lee. When he made a joke to that effect, Diana quickly quipped: "Lee, don't make me terse with you." Lee then admitted he didn't even know what the word meant when she first used it, but he knew he should "shut up" immediately.
© PA Images via Getty ImagesDiana and Dodi Al Fayed later both died in the horror car crash in Paris in that same year. The driver of the car, chauffeur Henri Paul, was also killed and was found to be over the legal drink-driving limit. Despite claims blaming the paparazzi pursuing the car, a UK police enquiry concluded that it was a "tragic accident".
Insider opinion
Another of Princess Diana's former bodyguards, Ken Wharfe, spoke to HELLO! In 2022 regarding what she may have thought of Prince William and Prince Harry's ongoing rift. Ken dedicated 16 years of service to the royal family, working specifically with the then Princess of Wales from 1988 to 1993.
© Getty Images"Her desire was to make things better for people who needed help," he said. "As for the rift between William and Harry; when two siblings fight there's usually a close relative to give advice and Diana would have taken on that role. She would have understood the problems that have been raised and helped her boys solve them, while giving Harry the advice he seems to lack right now."
Diana was once quoted as saying: "Family is the most important thing in the world," and we're sure she would want the boys to reunite. We are yet to see a reconciliation between the two; however, Prince Harry has made progress with his father King Charles after he made the effort to visit Highgrove House with his wife Meghan Markle and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
