Who Is King Charles' 'Hot Equerry' Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Thompson?

Most people who work for King Charles III and other members of the British royal family probably don't expect to become famous in their own right. However, in September 2022, when the internet buzzed about the equerry who set pulses racing during the late Queen Elizabeth II's procession, Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Thompson (also known as Jonny Thompson) inadvertently stepped into the spotlight in a big way. For the uninitiated and hyper-curious, Thompson is an equerry, otherwise known as an army officer who works for the royal family. He is part of the 5th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland. 

At the time of his initial online popularity in 2022, he was an army major. Thompson was often by Her Majesty's side as a bodyguard, and he worked for Charles as well. As of this writing, Thompson is the king's equerry. After causing a stir online, the Daily Mail shared a look into Thompson's life, confirming he was born in Northumberland, in England, and that he was a 2004 graduate of Aberystwyth University. Thompson joined the army two years later. They also reported that Thompson had been married to his then-wife, Caroline, since 2010, and that they had a son in 2018. Their family also included two dogs.

Months after he was spotted at the procession, Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Thompson became the prince charming of King Charles III's coronation. Thompson has often been spotted wearing kilts, which fans online noticed (and admired). One user on X, formerly known as Twitter, replied to another commenter asking about him, "That's Major Handsome, the Kings [sic] Equerry. He came to attention during the queen's funeral. He walked behind Charles looking dashing throughout all the ceremonies." Other social media posts about Thompson have gone viral since 2022, with the general consensus being that his good looks are totally swoon-worthy. The king's equerry received a promotion in 2023, which the Daily Mail confirmed in February 2024, calling him a "super equerry" and noting that he would be working for Charles more behind the scenes.

As for the equerry's love life, at the time of publishing, Thompson and his wife had been separated for about two years, and he had a new significant other in Olivia Lewis. She works in PR and, funnily enough, also used to work for Charles and Queen Camilla, which is reportedly how she and Thompson met. Likewise Simon Lewis, Olivia's father, worked in communications for Queen Elizabeth II and was an asset during the tumultuous time following the late Princess Diana's death. An insider shared that Thompson and Olivia are "well matched and very happy" and clarified that they had been dating for about one year at the time. A major relationship update came just a few months later.

On October 29, 2024, The Times confirmed that Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Thompson and Olivia Lewis were engaged in their "Births, marriages and deaths" column. For the most part, though, the king's equerry has kept his personal life strictly under wraps. That seems to be his preference, based on an earlier article, also from The Times, that elaborated on the lucrative new job position he'd received. An insider from the palace informed the outlet that Thompson was an equerry for King Charles III and Queen Camilla without as many public appearances because he reportedly didn't like all the hubbub surrounding him when admirers came out in droves to catch a glimpse.

However, the king's equerry hasn't kept everything close to the vest. In fact, Thompson once spoke with the BBC and even shared a memory he had with the late Queen Elizabeth II. Thompson recalled how he and his wife were given an invitation to dine with the monarch at the royal family's Balmoral residence in Scotland. "She straight away would start making the salad dressing, setting the table and the night culminated with me doing the washing up alongside her, which is a lovely memory," Thompson sweetly shared.