King Charles’ dashing equerryLieutenant Colonel Johnny Thompsonmade a rare appearance with the royals on Easter.
“What a treat! We haven’t seen him for a while!” one wrote.
While King Charles’ attendance at the Easter church service marked his most significant public appearance since beginningcancer treatment, it also marked Thompson’s first major appearance since hetransitioned into a less public roleafter becoming a viral sensation.
The buzz around Thompson, 40, began in September 2022, when footage of the suit-clad soldier walking through the gates of Buckingham Palace went viral onTikTokwith over 8.6 million views.
“I saw ‘Major eye candy,’ " blogger U.K. Travel captioned the clip of Thompson seemingly on his way to work, and the nickname stuck.
In late February,The Timesreported that the aide famed as “the hot equerry” started a new job for King Charles and Queen Camilla following the online frenzy. A palace source told the outlet that Thompson “remains senior equerry to the King and the Queen, in a more executive and less public-facing role.” The dedicated equerry is “understood not to have enjoyed the public attention he received after attending several high-profile events with the King.”
Thompson is a member of the 5th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland and may have been familiar to royal watchers for his appearances withQueen Elizabeth. He initially stepped into the spotlight in the summer of 2018, when he escorted the Queen for a battalion review atBalmoral Castle.
He rose through the ranks to become her most senior bodyguard and upon her death at age 96, was promoted to Super Equerry to her eldest son and successor King Charles,Tatlerreported.
Queen Elizabeth and Major Johnny Thompson at the gates of Balmoral in 2018.Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty
Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty
The equerry memorably kept a watchful eye overPrince Georgeand King Charles’ other three Pages of Honor at the crowning ceremony as they carried his robes, and a video of Thompson assisting the monarch at Westminster Abbey was viewed over 115,000 times onX.
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Lieutenant Colonel Johnny Thompson stands with King Charles' pages, including Prince George, at the coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London on May 6, 2023.JONATHAN BRADY/POOL/AFP via Getty
JONATHAN BRADY/POOL/AFP via Getty
Since coronation day, Thompson helped welcome U.S. PresidentJoe BidentoWindsor Castlein July, joined the King and Queen for theirstate visit to Francein September andescorted the royalsto the Church of St. Mary Magdalene at Sandringham on Christmas.
While fans might be seeing less of the equerry since he started his new job, he is reportedly seeing someone special! In February, Thompson was photographed holding hands in London with Olivia Lewis, a PR exec he reportedly met while working for the King and Queen.
TheDaily Mailreported that Thompson and his wife separated nearly two years ago, adding that he and Lewis are said to be “well matched and very happy.”
source: people.com
