Prince William’s new equerry is just the latest ‘military hunk’ to work for the royals: From the dashing Lieutenant Rob Dixon to the Royal Marine who served Queen Elizabeth until her death

They are military personnel who assist the royal family in carrying out their duties.

Prince William is to lose his loyal equerry, Commander Rob Dixon, as he returns to the Royal Navy after four years of service to the heir apparent.

He is replaced by Squadron Leader Mike Reynolds, who is on secondment from the Royal Air Force and, like his boss, has a beard.

There are about six courtiers working for the Royal House at any one time. They are recruited from the armed forces to assist important members of the monarchy at public events.

Read on to find out more about the ‘military lads’ the royals can’t live without.

Squadron Leader Mike Reynolds

Squadron Leader Mike Reynolds will assist William during his secondment to the Royal Air Force, taking over from his predecessor Commander Dixon.

Like the Prince of Wales, he appears to share a passion for flying and is a trained helicopter pilot.

William is a former RAF search and rescue pilot and served with the East Anglia Air Ambulance Service from 2015 to 2017.

Earlier this month, during a visit to Wales Air Ambulance headquarters, he revealed he would love to make a ‘comeback’ and fly a helicopter again.

Like Prince William, Squadron Leader Reynolds has a beard, although the qualified helicopter pilot’s facial hair is thicker and darker.

Lieutenant Commander Robert Dixon

After serving in the Royal Navy for more than two decades, Lieutenant Commander Robert Dixon joined Prince William in September 2020.

He previously served as a helicopter instructor and flew one of the Navy’s most powerful helicopters: a Wildcat.

A source previously said Lieutenant Commander Dixon was a “confident” member of the royal household, adding: “He and William work very well together, not least because they both love helicopters.”

He has assisted the Prince of Wales at several events and appears to share his boss’s passion for sport.

The agent was spotted cheering on William at the European Championships earlier this year.

Lieutenant Commander Dixon was present in September 2022 when William attended a wake at the coffin of his late grandmother, which lay in state in Westminster Hall.

He also attended the coronation of King Charles last May.

Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Thompson

Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Thompson was one of the late Queen Elizabeth’s chief bodyguards.

The officer, affectionately known as ‘Johnny’, caught the attention of a large number of royal fans and was dubbed ‘the sexy groom’ on social media, but he reportedly did not appreciate the attention.

He played a key role after the Queen died, appearing in the procession as the monarch’s coffin was carried from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall for the lying in state.

Lieutenant Colonel Thompson assisted King Charles with his daily duties and obligations and stood proudly beside him during the coronation ceremony.

However, earlier this year he moved to a less public role, assisting the monarch with his private affairs.

He joined the army in 2006 and studied at Aberystwyth University, according to his LinkedIn page.

Major Oliver Plunket

Camilla’s youthful groom was only in his late twenties when he was appointed in November 2022.

Major Oliver Plunket was personally selected by the Queen Consort from The Rifles, a regiment of which she has been Colonel Commander-in-Chief since 2020.

He first caught the public’s attention at the King’s coronation last year, when he was seen standing next to Charles in full military garb at Westminster Abbey and dubbed ‘the handsome boy’.

He also won many admirers during the Princess of Wales’ Christmas service at Westminster in 2022.

Before working for the Royal Family, he rode 39,500 kilometers on a motorcycle from Argentina to Alaska to raise money for charity.

He raised £100,000 for wounded soldiers and even survived a falling rock during his adventure.

Lieutenant Colonel Tom White

The handsome former Royal Marines officer served the Queen from 2020 until her death and is now Princess Kate’s private secretary.

Before joining the Royals, he joined the Royal Marines in 2007 and has extensive experience in the elite commando unit, with one source previously describing him as one of the best officers they had ever met.

Lieutenant Colonel White is also known as a war hero after helping to prevent a tragedy in Afghanistan in 2009 as a member of 42 Commando. He played a role in defusing an explosive booby trap in a school constructed by the Taliban.

He was only 22 years old when he committed this brave act and said: ‘It makes you sick to think what could have happened if we hadn’t found the bombs.

“These people knew they could have blown a lot of children into the air, but they didn’t care.”

Lieutenant Colonel Nana Kofi Twumasi-Ankrah

Ghanaian-born Lieutenant Colonel Nana Kofi Twumasi-Ankrah was the late Queen’s equerry from 2018 to 2020 and was personally chosen by her.

The Afghanistan war veteran was the royal family’s first black equerry and was educated at Sandhurst, a military academy where many members of the royal family, including Prince William and Harry, have also studied.

Before his appointment, Lieutenant Colonel Twumasi-Ankrah told The Sunday Times that as a small child he had been fascinated by Trooping the Colour.

He said: ‘I never thought I would one day command the regiment I had fallen so in love with.

‘From what I’ve seen in the UK, our cultures are really mixed. If I’m not a good example of that, I don’t know what is.’

The soldier moved from Ghana to the United Kingdom with his parents in 1982.

Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Lawrence

Although Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Lawrence is now married to Princess Anne, his royal life began in 1986 when he became an equerry to the late Queen.

He married Anne in 1992, after she divorced her first husband, equestrian Mark Phillips, the father of her two children – Zara and Peter.

Sir Tim has a close relationship with the Queen and was invited to stand on the balcony of Buckingham Palace with his family as part of the Platinum Jubilee Trooping the Colour ceremony in 2022.