Despite sharing the loss of Graham Craker, who served as a protection officer for both princes during their teenage years, the rift between Prince William and Prince Harry is unlikely to be resolved, according to an expert. The brothers are united in their sorrow over Craker’s passing.
However, their shared grief is not enough to overcome deeply ingrained issues, states royal expert Ingrid Seward.
Speaking to the Mirror, she explained: “He played a significant role, not as a father figure, but as an older friend whom they could always count on to entertain them.”
“Tall and slim, ‘Crackers,’ as he was known, had a personality that one of his colleagues likened to a grown-up schoolboy due to his fondness for childish jokes. He used humour to navigate difficult situations, and his own life was marked by tragedy when his wife drowned in a lake accident in 1991.”
Ms Seward continued: “Crackers somehow maintained his cheerful disposition and was always there when he was most needed. Following Diana’s death, Crackers was part of the team accompanying her hearse to Althorp and would have been a familiar and comforting presence for the young princes.”
“Crackers accompanied William to his first boarding school, Ludgrove, but was under strict instructions to remain in the background, even though his own room was next to William’s dormitory. He had a closer relationship with William than with Harry and accompanied him to Eton during a particularly sensitive period in his life, even escorting him to Windsor Castle for Sunday lunch with his grandparents.”
She concluded: “William and Harry will undoubtedly be saddened by Graham Craker’s death, but I suspect their estrangement from each other is too delicate and profound for them to reconcile, even if they were both able to attend his funeral.”
