Lieutenant Colonel Jonny Thompson, the King and Queen’s senior equerry and one of the most recognisable faces around the Royal Family, is to leave the Royal Household at the end of the year.
The Palace confirmed on Tuesday that Lt Col Thompson will also leave the British Army after almost 22 years of military service, with the 43-year-old planning to pursue a career in the private sector.
The departure brings to an end seven years in royal service for the officer, who first joined the household in 2019 as an equerry to the then Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall. He subsequently remained at the King’s side following Charles’s accession in 2022 and was appointed Senior Equerry to the King and Queen two years later.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said the King and Queen had known about his plans in advance.
“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.”
Lt Col Thompson was commissioned into the Royal Regiment of Scotland in April 2006, serving on operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan before commanding Balaklava Company, 5 Scots.
In 2018 and 2019, he led the ceremonial and military support for the late Queen’s annual residence at Balmoral. His connection with the Royal Family subsequently became much closer when he was appointed an equerry to Charles and Camilla in December 2019.
When Charles became King in September 2022, Thompson became his equerry, before being promoted to Senior Equerry to both the King and Queen.
The role is considerably more than simply accompanying the King at public engagements. Equerries are senior military officers who act as formal assistants to members of the Royal Family, helping with official diaries and accompanying them on engagements and overseas tours.
