Princess Diana’s former bodyguard thinks this member of the royal family could have saved her life

And it’s pretty surprising…

And it’s pretty surprising…

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Princess Diana’s death, with high profile figures and global organisations using 2017 to remember the late princess.

Kensington Palace launched a Princess Diana fashion exhibition and it was announced earlier this year that the late Princess is being honoured with a national day. Not to mention, ITV is currently working on an intimate documentary about the icon, with both Prince William and Prince Harry participating in the project.

However, a more recent documentary airing on NBC tonight, entitled The Life and Death of Princess Diana, features the royal’s former bodyguard, Ken Wharfe, who has opened up about her final weeks, and if her death could have been prevented.

During the two-hour documentary, the former royal bodyguard reveals how the one person that could have saved Princess Diana’s life was actually the Queen.

princess diana

(Image credit: Rex)

He explained how following her split from Prince Charles, Diana left behind the royal aspects of her life, one of them being bodyguards, which according to Ken, could have cost the Princess her life.

Ken recalled how he urged Diana to reconsider, reportedly telling her, 'Whatever you want to do, you will always be Diana, the Princess of Wales. The one thing that you shouldn’t give up is your security. I urge you strongly not to do that.’

He continued: ‘There’s only one person that could – in my view – have insisted that she retain her security, and that would have been the Queen herself. If the Queen had insisted that she retain that security then we wouldn’t be having this discussion because Diana, in my view, would have been alive today.’

Jenny Proudfoot
Contributing Features Editor

Jenny Proudfoot is an award-winning journalist, specialising in lifestyle, culture, entertainment, international development and politics. After working at Marie Claire UK for seven years - rising from intern to Features Editor - she is now a freelance contributor to the News and Features section.

In 2021, Jenny was named as a winner on the PPA's '30 under 30' list, and was also listed as a rising star in journalism.