King Charles turns 76 today (Image: Getty)
King Charles is celebrating his 76th birthday today and even though it’s been a turbulent year for the Royal Family due to his and the Princess of Wales’s cancer diagnoses, the monarch is determined to carry on his reign with his usual “business as usual” approach.
The King recently returned from a nine-day visit to Australia and Samoa in what has been largely described as a “successful” tour by royal watchers – his first since announcing his illness earlier this year.
Despite the setbacks and brief break from royal engagements to undergo the necessary cancer treatment, Charles’s reign has otherwise been relatively smooth since he ascended to the throne after the late Queen Elizabeth’s passing in 2022.
However, there is a lot of work done behind the scenes by Charles’s most trusted inner circle to enable him to serve the country in the best possible way.
Today, Express.co.uk takes a look at what that circle is and who is consists of.
Lieutenant Colonel Johnny Thompson is a royal fan favourite (Image: Getty)
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The King’s staff are formed of five main offices:
- The Private Secretary’s Office advises King Charles on constitutional, governmental, and political duties, being the primary source of advice to the monarch as Head of State and Head of Nation.
- The Privy Purse and Treasurer’s Office ensures the Royal Household is able to operate as a business dealing with matters like IT, finance, HR and property services.
- The Master of the Household’s Department manages everything related to private and official entertaining across all royal residences.
- The Lord Chamberlain’s Office is responsible for organising the King’s programme that involves public-facing events or ceremonial activity like garden parties, state visits and royal weddings.
- The Royal Collection Trust upholds the care and presentation of the Royal Collection – the largest private art collection in the world – and manages the public opening of official residences.
Sir Clive Alderton is King Charles’s Private Secretary (Image: Getty)
Meanwhile, King Charles’s top aides include:
King’s Equerry – Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Thompson
Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Thompson, famously known as the King’s “hot equerry” or “Major Eye Candy” for his brooding good looks has melted hearts throughout his service to the Royal Family.
He moved to a less “public-facing role” earlier this year as he reportedly did not like the attention he received. At the time, a Palace source told The Times, that while he “remains senior equerry to the King and the Queen”, he will be serving in a “more executive and less public-facing role”.
Trained with the 5th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland, Jonny is the King’s equerry, which is an officer of the royal household who assists the Royal Family and is responsible for the planning and execution of the King’s daily programme.
He was previously one of the late Queen Elizabeth’s most senior bodyguards.
King Charles’s Private Secretary – Sir Clive Alderton
Sir Clive Alderton has been King Charles’s Private Secretary since 2022. He is known as the monarch’s right-hand man and is seen as a key figure in the royal household.
His responsibilities include bridging communication between the King and the governments in other Commonwealth countries, finalising the monarch’s schedule and managing his correspondence.
The 57-year-old is a former British diplomat who has worked for the Royal Family since 2006.
Sir Clive joined the Foreign Office in 1986 and subsequently served in various diplomatic posts in Poland, Belgium, Singapore and France. In 2006, he was appointed deputy Private Secretary to then Prince Charles and Camilla but was later promoted to Private Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to the royal pair in 2009.
He subsequently was made ambassador to Morocco and simultaneously non-resident ambassador to Mauritania in 2012. But since 2015, he’s been by the King’s side as his Principal Private Secretary.
The 7th Earl of Rosslyn is Lord Steward of the Household (Image: Getty)
Lord Steward of the Household – Peter St Clair-Erskine, 7th Earl of Rosslyn
Peter St Clair-Erskine, the 7th Earl of Rosslyn, is Lord Steward of the Royal Household and is also Personal Secretary to both the King and Queen. He is responsible for the day-to-day management and financial affairs of the royal household.
Known professionally as Peter Loughborough, he rarely makes use of his Scottish title. His daughter, Lady Alice St Clair is an actress who bizarrely played Princess Kate in ‘William & Catherine: A Royal Romance’.
Director of Communications – Tobyn Andreae
Tobyn Andreae is the Royal Family’s director of communications and the spokesperson for both the King and Queen.
He has previously worked as a journalist for the likes of the Daily Mail, Sunday Times and the Daily Express.
As Director of Communications, he is responsible for media relations and communicating with various organisations and authorities.
Lord Chamberlain – Richard Benyon
Richard Benyon, Baron Benyon, has served as Lord Chamberlain of the Royal Household since November 4 2024.
He is the senior officer of the Royal Household and is responsible for supervising the departments which provide advice to the monarch while he acts as the main channel of communication between the King and the House of Lords.
Richard Benyon is Lord Chamberlain (Image: Getty)
Valet to the King – Luke Jones
Luke Jones is the King’s personal valet and is responsible for ensuring the King wears the right attire for both official and private occasions. He’s been working with Charles since 2017.
The King is said to trust his most personal possessions with Luke as well as taking care of all the private things in his bedroom, from his underwear to his sock garters.
Senior Dresser – Jacqui Meakin
Jacqui Meakin is Queen Camilla’s dresser, but she also advises on what the King should wear to accompany his wife’s outfits.
Meakin was put in charge of choosing outfits for the most senior woman in the Royal Family after taking over from the late Queen’s dresser Angela Kelly.
Known as “Ms. Meakin”, Jackie has been working for the royals since the Queen Mother days. She’s loyal, dependable, and indispensable.
Security Adviser – Robert Taussig
Security expert Robert Taussig is known to have been engaged by the Royal Family for his expertise in high-profile security management.
His involvement has significantly enhanced the strategic and operational efficiency of some of the royal’s security, though he maintains a role behind the scenes to uphold the discrete nature of the setup.
King’s Personal Protection Officer – Identity concealed for security reasons
The King is known to have a number of personal protection officers, however, their identities remains unknown for security reasons.
