Major Johnny Thompson: who is King Charles III’s equerry, is he married, what does Queen’s ex-bodyguard do?

A week has passed since the announcement that Queen Elizabeth II passed away at Balmoral Castle at the age of 96.

As the nation continues to mourn the loss of their longest reigning monarch, the Queen’s former highest-ranking bodyguard Major Jonathan Thompson, 39, has drawn some attention of his own.

Major Thompson of the 5th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland now serves King Charles III as his Royal Equerry and was seen with His Majesty as he oversaw his first public walk on 9 September.

He has been seen previously helping King Charles at a meeting with former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, greeting the Queen at Balmoral Castle earlier this year and enjoying Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Donned as the “kilt-wearing hunk”, here is everything you need to know about Major Jonathan Thompson.

Who is Major Jonathan Thompson?

Major Jonathan Thompson is a 39-year-old Platoon Commander with HM Forces.

Although Major Jonathan Thompson spent most of his life with the Royal Regiment of Scotland, he was born in Morpeth, Northumberland.

According to his LinkedIn page, Major Thompson joined the Army in 2006 after he graduated from Aberystwyth University two years prior with an Economics and politics degree.

It is thought that the Army officer has been an equerry for King Charles for two years now.

What does an Equerry to the King do?

Major Jonathan Thompson serves King Charles as an equerry - a position he held when Charles was the Prince of Wales.

An equerry historically was a senior attendant who looked after the horses of a person in rank.

The role has changed over time with the current requirements matching that of a personal assistant to a member of the Royal Family.

While Major Thompson was spotted overseeing King Charles III’s first public appearance after his mother’s death, he was also seen taking away pens from the desk when Charles signed the proclamation.

The 39-year-old was most recently spotted in his now-infamous kilt walking behind Princes William and Harry as the Queen’s coffin was moved to Westminster Hall for the lying-in-state.

Who is “Tommy” married to?

Unfortunately for many of Tommy’s fans, the Army soldier has been happily married for 12 years to marketing manager and equestrian Caroline, 44.

Caroline was educated at the Windsor Girls School and Strodes College and obtained a degree in Design Communication with which she used to make a website for charity Horses4Health.

A biography on the site read: “Caroline currently lives in Surrey with her husband, four year old son and two dogs, Odin and Piper, but has spent a lot of time living in various parts of Scotland, as well as Berkshire and Wiltshire.

“This is the seventh house she has lived in since she got married 12 years ago…the joys of being an Army family.”

What has been said about the Queen’s former bodyguard?

The kilt-wearing hunk has drawn quite the group of admirers with one video on TikTok gaining 5.3 million views with the caption “I saw ‘Major Eye Candy’”.

An account has also been set up on Twitter called MajorTJFans gaining over one thousand followers.

Another social media user has seemingly been a fan of Major Thompson since he was first seen during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

They took to Twitter and said: “A star is born. June 2022. When we first laid eyes on our hero. Celebration of Jubilee.”

“Unsure of when I last watched a full TV church service but I will be watching many more when MajorJohnny is present! Sing for me, Major!” another wrote.