Princess Diana’s former bodyguard – who protected Prince William and Prince Harry – has died at the age of 63.
Lee Sansum, a former royal military police officer, was one of Diana’s bodyguards before her death and escorted her during a family holiday to the French resort of St Tropez in 1997.
Mr Sansum’s wife, Kate made the heartbreaking announcement on Monday via a Facebook post and revealed her husband had died of a sudden heart attack.
Alongside a compilation of images of the couple through the years, the wellness coach and martial arts instructor wrote: ‘Since meeting in 1998 Lee Sansum has been my soul mate, hero and most amazing man in my world.
‘So I’m devastated to share that he is no longer with us. He had a fatal heart attack on Saturday morning at home.
‘His huge presence will be missed around the world as much as it is in our household although his capacity for love, and the life skills he has shared have left a legacy that will never be lost.
He’s forever loved and will always be with us
I love you more than ever ‘My Lovely Lee’.
Princess Diana’s former bodyguard – who protected William and Harry – has died at the age of 63 from a sudden heart attack his wife Kate has revealed in a touching Facebook post.
The father-of-six, was also one of Alex Salmond’s bodyguards during the late former First Minister’s period in office in 2014.
The former royal bodyguard, who the princess nicknamed Rambo, had black belts in karate, jujitsu and kick-boxing, and was no stranger to the spotlights having also worked with Sylvester Stallone, Pele, Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise.
At the time of Diana’s death, he was a part of Mohamed Al-Fayed’s protection team, the owner of Hôtel Ritz Paris and formerly Harrods department store and Fulham FC and took care of her during her holiday in the south of France .
He had been assigned to look after Diana, and her sons Prince William and Harry, during their stay at Al-Fayad’s 30-bedroom villa in St Tropez that summer – just a month before the princess’s death.
In the ex-Royal Military Policeman’s book, Mr Sansum said he formed a close bond with Diana and the young princes, particularly Harry.
He revealed he had tried to teach the two boys some kickboxing but they were too ‘apprehensive’.
He did however manage to show Prince Harry how to drive a jet ski close enough to waiting photographers to soak them.
And for his kind services, he was given a touching thank you letter from Diana, who wrote that she was grateful for the ‘magical ten days…would not have been possible without your invaluable contribution.’
Mr Sansum was a part of Mohamed Al-Fayed’s protection team and accompanied Princess Diana and her sons on their holiday to the south of France just a month before she died (Princess Diana pictured with Prince harry)
The letter Diana sent Lee after the trip in St Tropez, thank him for his service, which Lee now treasures dearly
Mr Sansum also shared that the late Diana had turned to him for comfort following the death of her fashion designer friend Gianni Versace who had recently been fatally shot outside his home.
Burnley-born Lee said Diana would wake up at 7am every day and chat to him. He said she worried about her own life.
Almost 25 years after the devastating night which took the lives of Princess Diana and Dodi Al-Fayad, the Mr Sansum revealed how he could’ve been with the princess that weekend, and with them in the car.
In a 2022 interview he said: ‘It could have been me in that car. We drew straws to see who would be accompanying Trevor [Rees-Jones] that weekend. When I learned they were not wearing seatbelts in the crash I understood why they didn’t survive. I always insisted on it.’
Mr Sansum, ex-Royal Military Policeman, martial arts champion, private military contractor and expert in close protection, added that it was standard practice for the family to wear seatbelts, an order sent down from Mohamed Al-Fayed.
He made the comments while discussing his book, ‘The Bodyguard’, about his life as an expert in close protection, calling it ‘the story of the real bodyguard’.
During the course of his long and varied career, he also worked undercover in Northern Ireland and joined the SIB, the Army’s own internal affairs unit, before entering the world of private security, operating in the world’s hotspots, such as Libya and the breakaway state of Somaliland.
According to The Mirror, the bodyguard was recommended tot he billionaire Al-Fayed who was so impressed with Mr Sansum that he came to think ho him as part of his family.
