King Charles III’s equerry will leave his role in the Royal Household and Armed Forces, Buckingham Palace has said today.
Lieutenant Colonel Jonny Thompson, who serves as senior equerry to both King Charles III and Queen Camilla, will depart at the end of the year.
The military officer, who works as a personal assistant to the King, plans to pursue a role in the private sector, the Palace said.
This means that he will leave the British Army after nearly 22 years of military service.
A spokesman said: ‘Their Majesties were of course aware of this plan in advance and I know they are most grateful to Jonny for his support over the past seven years and wish him all the best for the future.’
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Thompson, of Morpeth in Northumberland, has caught the eye of royal fans over the years and has earned several nicknames.
Many were said to be disappointed that he had been married since 2010.
Thompson, who joined the British Army in 2005 and was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan in 2006, 2009 and 2011, became one of Queen Elizabeth II’s most senior bodyguards following his tours.
In December 2019 he then became equerry to Charles and Camilla when they were the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall.
After Queen Elizabeth II’s death in 2022, Thompson then remained with Charles and stood beside him during his Coronation at Westminster Abbey.
In October 2023 he was promoted to the role of’senior equerry’ – which sees him serve as the monarch’s right-hand man.
But, reports from the time suggested that he had become ‘uncomfortable’ with the attention he received from admirers online, which is why he took the promotion to be more behind the scenes.