The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Princess Diana tributes
Mother’s legacy lives on in her sons, says former bodyguard
The legacy of Princess Diana lives on in her sons, who are changing the face of the British monarchy just like their mother, her ex-personal protection officer has said.
Former Met Police officer Ken Wharfe claimed at the time of Diana’s death the monarchy was “jealous” of her popularity, but the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry have followed in her footsteps carrying on her work.
Mr Wharfe, who guarded Diana for more than five years until 1993, said: “We now know Diana did change and modernise, whether we like it or not.
“What we see now today with William and Harry, in the way that they now conduct themselves as two leading royal figures, is so different from what royalty was in the 1980s.
“They are literally cardboard cutouts of their mother’s work and, 20 years on, we are now speaking about their mother more than ever before.”
Since her death, the royal brothers have taken on some of their mother’s charity work, from Harry raising awareness about Aids and supporting the efforts of the HALO Trust’s fight against landmines, to William championing the homeless.
The former Scotland Yard officer, who has written a book, Guarding Diana, about his overseas travels with the princess, said her modernisation was reflected not only in the way she conducted royal engagements but how she brought up William and Harry.
He said: “She would take them to Kensington High Street, take them to the cinema. They were great regulars of Bill Wyman’s Sticky Fingers restaurant.”
Mr Wharfe added the experience of a trip to a local restaurant or visits to Marks and Spencer to buy frozen chips and burgers, which they would cook, was also part of William and Harry’s education.