KATE MIDDLETON has appointed the Queen’s former equerry Tom White as her private secretary.
The dashing former Royal Marine has sent the internet into a frenzy, with fans declaring that the Princess of Wales’s private secretary looks a lot like retired tennis star Roger Federer.
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Who is Kate Middleton’s private secretary, Colonel Tom White?
Colonel Lieutenant Tom White is the private secretary to the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton.
Tom White is a father of one son, sharing a daughter with his wife Stephanie White.
The couple live in London and own a £635,000 home in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire.
The princess’s royal aide previously served as military assistant to Major General Matt Holmes, commanding general of the Royal Navy and also completed a post at Marine Command in Portsmouth, where her parents live.
The former Royal Marines officer served in Afghanistan in 2009.
During his time serving in the war, he helped prevent a bomb that had been booby-trapped at a school in the country’s Helmand province.
In 2020, he made history by becoming the first Royal Marines commando to hold the role of Equerry to the Queen.
White is one of the royal family’s most experienced aides after serving Queen Elizabeth II as her equerry until her death in September 2022.
In addition to being a royal aide, White is also an accomplished tennis player who fans say shares an uncanny resemblance to retired Wimbledon star Roger Federer.
Kate, as Royal Patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, shares her love of tennis and the pair were photographed together at Wimbledon.
The Princess of Wales’s last private secretary, Hannah Cockburn-Loggie, took up the role in May 2020 and held the role for two years before stepping down in 2022.
Kate was left without a private secretary for more than a year after taking time off from her royal duties.
At that time, the Princess of Wales underwent planned abdominal surgery on January 16 and a 13-day hospitalization.
Upon returning to public life, Kate appointed Tom White as her private secretary in March 2024.
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What does the role of a private secretary include?
The private secretary of a member of the royal family is similar to the chief of staff.
It’s your role to ensure the royals’ day runs smoothly, and duties can include anything from coordinating royal engagements to briefing meetings.
You can often see private secretaries when royals go on a public walk, as they are usually just a few meters away – often to carry photos or gifts given by well-wishers.
White was appointed director of the Royal Prince and Princess of Wales Foundation.
The foundation is a philanthropic and charitable vehicle for the royal couple to highlight a national focus on conservation and raise awareness about mental health.
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Other notable private secretaries
These days, private secretaries are gaining almost as much admiration and attention as royalty. Here are some that won the hearts of the public.
Lt. Col. Jonathan Thompson served as the late Queen’s senior bodyguard and first came to public attention for his dashing looks at Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in 2022. Thompson is now King Charles’ right-hand man.
Similarly, fans swooned over Lieutenant Commander Rob Dixon after he was seen walking the red carpet in a three-piece suit ahead of Prince William at the Baftas. Dixon is the squire of the Prince of Wales.
In 2017, Lieutenant Colonel Nana Kofi Twumasi-Ankrah, better known as TA, became Queen Elizabeth’s first black equerry.
Major Ollie Plunket, 29, is Queen Camilla’s squire and one of the royal’s youngest personal assistants.
The best-known squire was Captain Peter Townsend. His love affair with Queen Elizabeth’s sister, Princess Margaret, was portrayed in the first two seasons of Netflix’s The Crown.
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