Guarding Diana: Protecting the Princess Around the World

Author(s): Ken Wharfe

Biographies / Memoirs

Wherever she went, in public or in private, she was shadowed by her Scotland Yard personal protection officer, Inspector Ken Wharfe, whose job it was it keep her safe, even to the extent of sacrificing his own life, if necessary. In public Diana was feted wherever she went, greeted by adoring crowds and fawned over by the media. In private she craved anonymity, and it was Ken Wharfe's brief to protect her and keep her away from prying eyes. The SAS-trained officer from the Yard's elite Special Operations 14, Royalty and Diplomatic Protection Department, was with the Princess every step of the way. As she dazzled among Washington society or walked the sand of exclusive Caribbean beaches he watched over her. In the foothills of the Himalayas, the heat and dust of India and the heart of Africa, he was always just a heartbeat away. 'Purple Five Two' - the woman, the princess - was Ken's charge. In private when they travelled, they often posed as man and wife under assumed names, 'Mr and Mrs Hargreaves', to throw the determined paparazzi desperate for a photograph off the scent.Whenever she wanted a private holiday it would be to Ken she would turn, who would be despatched in secret to find the idyllic spot.
In the six years that Ken was at Diana's side they travelled hundreds of thousands of miles together, sharing secrets, laughter and tears on a truly extraordinary journey. This is their exclusive story.


Product Information

Inspector Ken Wharf, MVO, was personal protection officer to the late Diana, Princess of Wales, in charge of round-the- clock security at home and abroad, from 1987 until 1993. He retired from the Metropolitan Police in 2002, after thirty-five years' service, nearly half of it in royalty protection, and on his retirement, was appointed a Member of the Royal Victorian Order, an honour in the Sovereign's personal gift. His memoir of his service with the late Princess, Diana: Closely Guarded Secret, co-written with Robert Jobson, was a bestseller on its first publication and again when it was reissued in a revised edition in 2016. He remains in demand both as a speaker and as a commentator on royal security. Robert Jobson is a leading royal commentator and writer dubbed the 'Godfather of Royal Reporting' by the Wall Street Journal. He is Royal Editor of the London Evening Standard, Australia's Channel 7 shows Sunrise and The Morning Show, as well as royal commentator for NBC News and for the ABC network's Good Morning America. In the UK he is a regular on BBC, ITV and Sky News. A bestselling author and award-winning correspondent, he has been at the forefront of royal reporting for nearly twenty-five years.

General Fields

  • : 9781786063885
  • : John Blake Publishing Ltd
  • : John Blake Publishing Ltd
  • : August 2017
  • : 234mm X 153mm
  • : United Kingdom
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : Ken Wharfe
  • : Ken Wharfe
  • : 941.085092
  • : 941.085092
  • : Hardback
  • : Hardback