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Elgin former bodyguard to royalty and Hollywood stars Lee Sansum tells all in new book


By Lorna Thompson

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AN ELITE Elgin bodyguard who has protected Hollywood glitterati and British royalty during an adventure-packed career will tell all in a candid memoir due to hit the bookshop shelves in spring.

Close protection expert Lee Sansum (59), a former member of the Royal Military Police, spent months over lockdowns recounting stories with ghost writer Howard Linskey for his book, "The Bodyguard".

Throughout his swashbuckling career, the local martial arts champion has looked after actors Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and Sylvester Stallone, and Brazilian footballer Pele.

The defining moment of Lee's career, however, was as part of the protection team for tycoon Mohamed al-Fayed and his son, Dodi.

As such he spent 10 days in St Tropez protecting the most famous woman in the world, Princess Diana, along with her sons, princes William and Harry, prior to her untimely death in a Paris car crash.

According to The Bodyguard publisher, Orion, Lee formed a close bond with Diana and the young princes, particularly Harry, and it was only by a stroke of luck that he was not in the car on the night of the crash in 1997.

Lee said: "I went all over the world with the Royal Military Police, leaving in 1995. I had experience looking after people and after that I went into the bodyguard world. That took me to various places, and I worked on the circuit until just before lockdown alongside building up our martial arts business in Moray.

"I think the book will appeal to different people for a variety of reasons. People are always interested in Diana, who was loved around the world, and others are more interested in how bodyguards work and some of the risky operations I've been involved in.

Elgin martial arts trainer and close protection expert Lee Sansum with his memoir, The Bodyguard. Picture: Becky Saunderson.
Elgin martial arts trainer and close protection expert Lee Sansum with his memoir, The Bodyguard. Picture: Becky Saunderson.

"I don't think I would ever have had a book out if it hadn't been for the lockdown. I had so much time on my hands."

The book offers Lee's account of what it's like to work with the rich and famous in a high-pressure job where lives are at stake.

It charts his Army years, including undercover work with the military police in Northern Ireland, and of operating in danger hotspots such as Libya and the breakaway state of Somaliland in the dangerous world of private security.

Growing up in a tough part of Greater Manchester, Lee's career in the Royal Military Police took him to the "Bandit Country" of South Armagh. He worked undercover in Northern Ireland and joined the Army's own internal affairs unit, the Special Investigations Branch, before entering the world of private security.

Lee said: "This book pulls together all the important aspects of my life and offers fresh insight on that tragic night in Paris.

"I could not think of a better team to help me bring this together and I can't wait to share my story with the world."

Executive publisher Anna Valentine said Lee's story offered a unique insight into how an elite close protection bodyguard really operates, and lets readers into the secrets of the trade.

She added: "To guard the most famous woman in the world, you have to be the best."

The Bodyguard will be published on April 14 under Orion's non-fiction imprint, Seven Dials.


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