King Charles III is changing up his personnel after Lieutenant Colonel Johnny Thompson, playfully dubbed the “hot equerry,” went viral last year.
Thompson, who has been part of the royal family’s team for years, will no longer be part of the king’s public security team, according to The Telegraph.
The senior aide, who gained fame for his good looks at Charles’ 2023 coronation, “remains senior equerry to the king and the queen, in a more executive and less public-facing role,” a royal source told The Times on Thursday, February 22.
The outlet further claimed that Thompson, 40, is “understood not to have enjoyed the public attention he received after attending several high-profile events with the king.”
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Thompson first turned heads in summer 2018 when he escorted the late Queen Elizabeth II during a battalion review at Balmoral Castle. At the time, fans noticed his striking features as he stood beside the queen and greeted soldiers. He was also praised for pulling off his uniform, which features a kilt.
Thompson, who is a member of the 5th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland, continued to serve the queen as her most senior bodyguard. Following Elizabeth’s death in September 2022 at the age of 96, Thompson was promoted to Super Equerry to Charles, 75, who ascended the throne at that time.
Days after the queen’s death, Thompson made headlines for his dapper suit as he arrived at Buckingham Palace for work. “I saw ‘Major eye candy,’” one TikTok user captioned a video of the moment outside the palace, which has amassed nearly 500,000 “likes” since September 2022.
“I’ve never seen somebody look so suave while carrying 4 bags,” one user commented on the video. “He doesn’t have an awkward bone in his body.” A second follower replied, writing, “He looks like the main love interest in a period piece coming to work for a noble family, this is episode 1.”
Thompson’s fame grew in May 2023 when he was spotted assisting Charles as he was crowned king. The senior aide was tasked with watching over Prince George and the other Pages of Honor when they carried the king’s ceremonial robes.
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Thompson then went viral on social media when he was filmed helping Charles change robes at Westminster Abbey. “Wouldn’t this guy make a brilliant James Bond!” one fan commented on a video of the moment shared via X.
“Major Johnny Thompson, looking hot af,” the user captioned the clip, which has been viewed more than 100,000 times.
The following month, Talter ranked Thompson third on its “social power index,” reporting that he had a “fabulous sense of humor” and celebrated him for looking “as good in a suit as he does in a kilt.”
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Thompson was promoted to lieutenant colonel last year and has remained a loyal employee for the king, who announced earlier this month that he is battling cancer. Charles has not revealed what stage or kind of cancer he has but has already returned to public and private duty amid treatments.
Charles was diagnosed after doctors found a “separate issue of concern” while the royal underwent surgery for a benign prostate in January, Buckingham Palace confirmed at the time.
“I’ve had so many wonderful messages and cards,” Charles told U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday, February 21, during his first public appearance since announcing his diagnosis. “It’s reduced me to tears most of the time.”