A bodyguard who protected Princess Diana alongside her sons Prince Harry and Prince William has sadly died aged 63. His devastated wife has paid tribute to her ‘soulmate’
The bodyguard of Princess Diana, who she lovingly nicknamed ‘Rambo’, has sadly died. Lee Sansum, a former royal military police officer, was Diana’s bodyguard a month before her tragic death, guarding her during a family holiday to the French resort of St Tropez in the summer of 1997. He also helped protect Princes William and Harry.
His death was announced today by his devastated wife Kate, a martial arts instructor and wellness coach. She confirmed that her “soul mate” Mr Sansum had suffered a fatal heart attack at the age of 63.
Taking to social media, she 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 ‘MyLovely Lee’.”
The dad-of-six was also a bodyguard for the late Alex Salmond, the former First Minister of Scotland, in the final, heated days of the Scottish independence referendum campaign in 2014. The famous bodyguard had black belts in karate, jujitsu and kick-boxing, and also worked for celebrities including Sylvester Stallone and Tom Cruise.
He was assigned to protect Mohamed Al-Fayed’s son Dodi and Diana in July 1997, a month before she died, while they holidayed on the Harrods boss’ superyacht in St Tropez.
He said Diana was an “amazing woman”, adding: “She cared a great deal. She never said a bad word about anyone.” He revealed that the princess cried on his shoulder after her close pal, fashion designer Gianni Versace, was murdered.
Mr Sansum also became close to William and Harry – even teaching “naughty” Harry how to drive a jet ski close to photographers so they would get soaked. He got a touching thank you letter from Diana for his services, saying the “magical ten days…would not have been possible without your invaluable contribution”.
Diana dubbed him ‘Rambo’ and Mr Sansum would later claim that the princess would still be alive if he had been on duty the night she died in a car crash in Paris in August 1997.
The bodyguard also served as a military police officer in Northern Ireland during The Troubles. He said: “I was looking after people in witness protection. I learnt my craft in Northern Ireland.”
After leaving the Army, he started working as a civilian bodyguard, and a friend recommended him to billionaire businessman Al-Fayed, who was so impressed by Mr Sansum that the bodyguard said he “became like family”.
In 2018, he revealed how he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder while protecting Diana and her two sons. He also told how he wanted to be reunited with Harry so they could raise awareness of the killer mental health problem together.
Speaking at the time, he said: “Nobody knew it but I had PTSD even when I looked after the princess and her sons. When I left the military, there was no help whatsoever for people with any mental health problems. I used to tell young Harry stories about the military and things I had done. He was fascinated by it.
“To see him later in life supporting veterans was really nice. Now I want to ask him to sit down and speak to him and to raise awareness of PTSD sufferers together.”
Mr Sansum was also a bodyguard for Alex Salmond, the former First Minister of Scotland, in the final, heated days of the Scottish independence referendum campaign.
Reflecting on his work in Scotland, Mr Sansum previously said: “It was a bit unusual. I had just returned from Libya, where I was evacuating European peacekeepers on behalf of the EU.
“The situation over there was tough. There’s still a huge amount of ordnance – shells and missiles which Gaddafi left behind – so it was dangerous 24 hours a day. My wife suggested, because I’d had a couple of close shaves, that I should perhaps find more suitable work in Scotland. When I got home, the company I work for got in touch and asked if I was free to do some work for Mr Salmond, and I was very happy to do it.
Having worked in risky conditions around the world, Greater Manchester-born Mr Sansum said the Scottish referendum had been relatively peaceful.
“I spent five to six months in Libya with the UN and saw men with AK-47s outside polling stations,” he said. “And polling stations were blown up if they were expected to return the wrong result – so I’m happier dodging eggs than bullets.”
