DASHING DOUBLE
Who is Kate Middleton’s private secretary Colonel Tom White?
He saved a school and its pupils by averting a bomb in Afghanistan
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' private secretary looks much like the 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 to one, sharing a daughter with his wife Stephanie White.
The couple live in London and own a £635,000 house in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire.
The princess' royal aide previously served as the military assistant to Major General Matt Holmes, commandant general of the Royal Marines and he also completed a post at Navy Command in Portsmouth, where his parents live.
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The former Royal Marines officer served in Afghanistan in 2009.
During his time serving in the war, he helped avert 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 position of the Queen's Squire.
White is one of the royal family's most experienced aides after he served Queen Elizabeth II as her equerry until she died in September 2022.
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As well as being a royal aide, White is also a talented tennis player who fans say shares an uncanny resemblance to the retired Wimbledon star, Roger Federer.
Kate, as the royal patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, shares his love of tennis and the two have been pictured at Wimbledon together.
Princess Kate dazzled at Wimbledon
The Princess of Wales' last private secretary Hannah Cockburn-Loggie took on the role in May 2020 and held the position for two years before stepping back in 2022.
Kate was without a private secretary for over a year after taking time off from her royal duties.
In that time, The Princess of Wales underwent a planned abdominal surgery on January 16 and a 13-day hospitalisation.
On her return 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?
A royal family member's private secretary is similar to their chief of staff.
It's their role to ensure the royal's day runs smoothly, and duties can include anything from coordinating royal engagements to briefing on meetings.
You can often see private secretaries when royals do a public walkaway, as they are usually standing a few feet away — often to carry photos or gifts given by well-wishers.
White has been appointed as a director to the Prince and Princess of Wales Royal Foundation.
The foundation is a philanthropic and charitable vehicle for the royal couple to spotlight a national focus on conservation and raise mental health awareness.
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Other notable private secretaries
Nowadays, private secretaries are gaining almost as much admiration and attention as the royals. Here a few that have captured the hearts of the public.
Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Thompson served as a senior bodyguard to the late queen and first caught the public’s eye 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 spotted walking the red carpet in a three-piece suit ahead of Prince William at the Baftas. Dixon is the Prince of Wales' equerry.
In 2017, Lieutenant Colonel Nana Kofi Twumasi-Ankrah better known as TA, became the first black equerry to Queen Elizabeth.
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Major Ollie Plunket, 29, is Queen Camilla’s equerry and one of the youngest of the senior royals’ personal assistants.
The most well-known equerry was Captain Peter Townsend. His love affair with Queen Elizabeth’s sister, Princess Margaret was depicted in the first two seasons of Netflix’s The Crown.