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Princess Diana's former bodyguard talks about the difficulty of guarding a free spirit

Princess Diana and former bodyguard Ken Wharfe [Photo: PA/Getty]
Princess Diana and former bodyguard Ken Wharfe [Photo: PA/Getty]

Princess Diana‘s former bodyguard has spoken about the difficulties of looking after a free-spirited royal.

Ken Wharfe, who served as the late princess’ personal protection officer for eight years, wrote in The Daily Mail that “Diana was hardly the easiest boss.”

His comments come after reports that the Duchess of Sussex’s female bodyguard is leaving the role after six months.

Wharfe said that like Meghan, Diana wanted to get as close to people as she could, but that meant the job could be a nightmare.

Princess Diana during a walkabout in Australia in 1996 [Photo: Getty]
Princess Diana during a walkabout in Australia in 1996 [Photo: Getty]

The 69-year-old added that Diana “wrote the rule book” on going off-piste, particularly in the years after she separated from Prince Charles.

Whenever the princess wanted to do something without anyone knowing, Wharfe explained: “It was about balancing her wish for privacy with her security.” Although he said he did get in trouble once for letting Diana go to Bahamas without telling Scotland Yard.

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The job took Mr Wharfe all over the world and to glamorous locations, but he said: “The demands on your time are immense and you can’t relax for a moment.”

The former royal bodyguard also voiced his fears over Meghan’s security.

I happen to know there are concerns about her dysfunctional family, for example.

“The worry is that one or more of them might turn up not at the Palace but on one of her working trips, perhaps with a TV crew in hand to film the confrontation.”

Meghan pictured in Birkenhead this week. Her female bodyguard has reportedly leaving her post after six months [Photo: Getty]
Meghan pictured in Birkenhead this week. Her female bodyguard has reportedly leaving her post after six months [Photo: Getty]

The 37-year-old’s estranged father Thomas Markle and half-siblings Samantha and Thomas Markle Jr. have given numerous interviews criticising the Duchess of Sussex or the royal household itself.

Meghan has not spoken to her dad since her wedding last May, after he was caught staging paparazzi photos for money. He subsequently pulled out of walking his daughter down the aisle, due to health problems.

Her half-sister Samantha Markle was also reportedly turned away from Kensington Palace by security in October, after turning up unannounced.