Princess Diana’s Former Bodyguard Says She “Always Had This Desire”—But It Was Impossible for Her to Achieve
Princess Diana’s Former Bodyguard Says She “Always Had This Desire”—But It Was Impossible for Her to Achieve
Rachel BurchfieldTue, September 1, 2026 at 1:38 PM UTC
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Princess Diana.Credit: GettyThe Gist -
Princess Diana’s former bodyguard Ken Wharfe served as her personal protection officer from 1987 to 1993.
He said in a new interview with Marie Claire that the former Princess of Wales “always had this desire to be normal.”
But, with her fame, beauty, and royal standing, being “normal” was an obvious impossibility.
From the outside looking in, it would seem that Princess Diana had it all. But, her former bodyguard said in a new interview, the Princess of Wales “always had this desire to be normal.”
With her position in the royal family, global celebrity, and breathtaking beauty, being “normal” was an impossibility for the princess. But, Wharfe told Marie Claire, Diana always attempted to have a modicum of normality, and that included treating staff—including him—like friends. He admitted that it was “quite difficult” with Diana to draw a line between being her personal protection officer and being her friend.
Princess Diana with Prince William in Zurich in 1993, with Ken Wharfe in the background.Credit: Getty Images
He told the outlet that it was “sometimes difficult balancing security, because you could very easily be drawn into a private gathering or family occasion and begin to feel as though you were part of the party.”
“And I’ll tell you why that was difficult,” he added. “Because Diana herself would often draw you into it.”
Wharfe—who worked for Diana from 1987 to 1993—said the royal had a “wonderfully entertaining, wicked sense of humor.”
“She loved telling jokes, and listening to them—in fact, the riskier the joke, the better,” he said on behalf of casino.org. “But that was part of who she was. Diana lived very much in the real world, like it or not. Many people would argue she didn’t, but she always had this desire to be normal.”
Princess Diana on November 7, 1995.Credit: Getty Images
The former bodyguard admitted that there “were times when it was quite difficult to remove yourself from what had become a very personal and very private occasion,” but added that being close to the Princess of Wales and “drawn in” by her actually allowed him to do his job more effectively.
“If you were accepted as part of that environment, you were in the best possible position to provide effective protection,” he explained. He added, “If, in Diana’s case, she said, ‘Come and eat with us, Ken,’ or ‘Come and sit in here and join the conversation,’ then that’s exactly what I, and my colleagues, would do.”
Diana gave up her 24/7 police protection in December 1993, which Wharfe told Marie Claire ultimately “led to the appalling accident in Paris.” Diana died in a car crash there on August 31, 1997—29 years ago.
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Princess Diana on July 21, 1989, with Ken Wharfe in the background.Credit: Getty
After December 1993, “She was then relying on security which, in my view, was unprofessional and lacked the level of planning, coordination, and communication that would have provided the best possible protection,” Wharfe said. “Sadly, it simply wasn’t there.”
In addition to wanting to be normal herself, Diana wished the same for her sons Prince William and Prince Harry. Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond told The iPaper, “I remember William’s mother, Diana, telling me that she wanted her two boys to be brought up in a way no other royal princes had been. And she did her best to give them an idea of what life beyond the palace walls is like.”
Even inside Diana’s Kensington Palace home, she filtered normality in, her former chef Darren McGrady said. “On a Saturday night, you’d see Diana sitting down in front of the TV eating dinner with her boys,” he told Hello!. “It just made everything so normal.”
Princess Diana, Prince Harry, and Prince William at Thorpe Park in 1993.Credit: Getty
While during the week the boys had healthy food, “on a Saturday night the boys could have pizza, the boys could have hamburgers and fried chicken, and things like that,” McGrady said. “It was a special treat. It was Diana’s way of showing them you’re children, too.”
“I know it sounds dramatic to say, but the way Princess Diana was bringing the children into the next century—she was able to say, ‘I know they’re royal children, but they’re normal children, too,’” he continued. “It wasn’t the case of having to dress for dinner or sit at the table and be served formally by butlers.”
Wharfe—who initially protected William and Harry before moving on to protect Diana—previously told Yahoo! News’ Royal Box that the two young princes were “n o different from any other child. Diana was always keen to bring some normality.”
“One of her famous catchphrases was, ‘I want to be normal,’” he said, per The Daily Express.
Princess Diana in Melbourne, Australia on January 27, 1988.Credit: Getty
Both William and Harry—along with their respective families—marked the 29th anniversary of Diana’s death on Monday privately. Fans left floral tributes and messages at Kensington Palace, and Diana’s younger brother Charles Spencer lowered the flag at Althorp—the Spencer family’s ancestral home—to half-staff, writing that August 31 was his “least favorite day.”
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