Prince Harry and Prince William’s childhood bodyguard, Graham Craker, has died.

Craker’s death aged 77 was confirmed by his sons Graham and James on social media.

“He was an incredible man – our hero, our rock – and meant everything to us,” they wrote in tribute.

“Words can’t describe the pride we feel in how he lived his life so selflessly, not only in his professional career but in his personal life, right up to the very end.”

His cause of death has not yet been disclosed.

The Independent has contacted a representative for the royal family and Prince Harry for comment.

Before retiring in 2001, Craker spent 35 years serving the UK’s Metropolitan Police and 15 years working for the royal family.

He was the bodyguard for William, then 15, and Harry, then 12, when they learned about their mother Princess Diana’s death. Diana died in August 1997 at the age of 36 in a car crash in Paris.

While making their way to Diana’s funeral at Westminster Abbey in 1997, Craker walked with William and Harry behind the late royal’s hearse. He also sat in front of a hearse that was carrying Diana’s body to Althorp House, which is where she is buried.

In his 2023 memoir, Spare, Harry shared how much he admired Craker and the nickname he and William gave him.

“The bodyguard was Graham. Willy and I liked him a lot. We always called him Crackers. We thought that was hysterical,” he wrote.

Craker also spoke to the New York Post in 2017 about his reaction to Diana’s death, saying it was “so difficult to take it.”

“It takes a while to absorb and then you feel the need to make sure what you’re hearing is true — and that didn’t take long to establish. From there on, it’s the policeman’s instinct to assess the situation and carry on,” he said.

He shared what he remembered about the moment he put Diana’s coffin into the hearse after the funeral with William and Harry watching.

“I was standing at the rear of the hearse and William looked up and acknowledged me. I looked toward him and nodded,” he explained. “William was comforted that I was with his mum on her final journey.”

Craker also recalled how “emotional” it was for him to see William the morning after Diana died in the car crash.

“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 added. “Not wishing to encroach upon his grief, I then walked on and William continued walking his dog.”

The former bodyguard spent his recent years working with local organizations, such as the Southern Maltings Arts Center in Hertfordshire, located in the East of England.

open image in gallery

The non-profit organization also announced Craker’s death on social media on Thursday, referring to him as a “friend and colleague.”

“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,” Southern Maltings wrote. “While to the most important people in his life Graham was a father, and grandfather, to us he was a valued friend and colleague.”

The organization added: “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.”