A former bodyguard of Prince William, who was also Princess Diana’s former protection officer, and part of the team protecting Prince William during his school days at Wetherby Preparatory School, has spoken out about the “heavy police-involved operation” behind his education.
Ken Wharfe who worked in royal protection from 1987 to 1993 described how the tricky location of the school near Pembridge Square Gardens meant the building could not be secured permanently.
He said: “We had to secure the building every day. That meant at 6 o’clock, every morning, we would send in our explosive dogs, and then I would supply our own backup, based in Buckingham Palace, to secure the building once they’d left.”
Speaking on HELLO!’s A Right Royal Podcast, he added: “At any one time when William was there, there would be the protection officer, myself, and two to three other protection officers.”
The former officer was protecting Prince William for six months at Wetherby, before leaving and working for the late Princess Diana.
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Mr Wharfe explained how the former Prince Charles and late Princess Diana chose the school because it was conveniently located near Kensington Palace, and because of its excellent reputation.
But they were adamant the bodyguard stick to one rule while looking out for the Prince. Wharfe said: “The prince and the princess were most insistent that we the protection team, were not involved in any way, visually in his classroom.”
The protection officers would stay in an adjoining building to guarantee the safety of the young royal during the education hours.
The bodyguard, who first joined the Metropolitan Police in 1967, and worked in royal protection overall for 13 to 14 years, said he didn’t recall any major incidents but dealt with the day-to-day problems that occurred during his time as a protection officer.
Mr Wharfe said: “One day, one of the sniffer dogs became very excited in the headmistress’s office and the school was evacuated.”
He explained how the sniffer dog had become alerted to a Tippex correcting fluid in her desk, which smelt like “marzipan” and was of a similar smell to an explosive.
The main concern described by the former protection officer was a poential “a risk of a kidnap” of the young Prince William.
Despite the risks, when it came to Prince William and Prince Harry, Diana insisted on giving her children an education that was as normal as possible, outside the palace walls.
Mr Wharfe explained Diana wanted her son to make friends and get to know his peers. He explained: “Diana always wanted his school friends to come back and have tea with them, and she would encourage William to do the same with his peers.”
Prince Harry also attended Wetherby School in Notting Hill in 1989 with his big brother on hand for support.
