What we know about ‘Johnny’ as royal distraction steals limelight from King and Queen

King Charles and Queen Camilla have arrived in Rome for a historic state visit to Pope Leo at the Vatican, but someone else seems to have stolen the spotlight.

The heartthrob figure of Johnny often commands adoration from followers of the royals during state visits, and this time he was spotted once again.

'Johnny' can often be seen accompanying the King on state visits and other royal functions.

Cutting a dashing presence alongside the King, Johnny has frequently gone viral during functions as royal watchers speculate about the identity of the mysterious and smartly-dressed figure.

And now, Johnny is once again in the limelight, though he has previously said that the attention he gets online may be less than welcome.

But who exactly is the enigmatic presence accompanying the King?

Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Thompson (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

What's his full name?

Though he's known as Johnny online, his full name is Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Thompson.

Thompson had been working for the King for several years, including attending important royal events.

While he has also taken on less public-facing roles, Thompson is still occasionally clocked by royal fans accompanying the King.

Thompson (pictured disembarking the plane at the top right) has attended a number of high profile events (Arthur Edwards -Pool via/WireImage)

What is Jonathan Thompson's job?

Thompson is the King's equerry and was promoted to a 'super' equerry back in 2022.

But what exactly is an equerry?

Historically, the role was a senior officer in the royal household who was tasked with looking after the horses of a royal figure, hence 'eque-' like 'equestrian'.

However, in the modern sense, the role is less to do with horses and more like a right hand man to a royal figure, a member of the military who is a personal attendant to them.

And being the super equerry, or senior equerry, to the King is a higher position still.

Thompson frequently accompanies the King at royal events (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

Why has Jonathan Thompson gone viral?

In short - because he cuts a very dashing and handsome figure in his uniform.

The effect was also seemingly enhanced by the fact that he serves in the 5th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland, meaning that he sometimes dons a kilt for formal occasions.

Thompson has caught the public eye on a number of occasions, including in 2018 when he served as bodyguard to the late Queen Elizabeth II.

He was also spotted accompanying the coffin of the late Queen as it was taken to lie in state, with a picture of him going viral and being seen some 8 million times on social media.

With shows such as The Bodyguard gaining huge popularity, it's perhaps little surprise that a real-life officer has captured the publics, erm, imagination. And yes, he is married, with society magazine Tatler reporting on his nuptials to Olivia Lewis.

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