Henry Erskine was Groom of the Robes for over 50 years and served 3 Monarchs. Sir Harold Campbell served our late Queen and her father for over 15 years. When he retired in 1954 he was appointed as an Extra Equerry. Hopefully Jonny will serve in this position a long time. Whatever he decides regarding his career he will always be part of history.
Lt. Colonel Johnny Thompson of the Scots Guards and Handsome Men In Kilts **Appreciation Thread
- Thread starter Maggie Muggins
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Jonny at the last State Opening of Parliament
In the procession
Watching on - bottom far left behind the plumes!
In the procession
Watching on - bottom far left behind the plumes!
I totally agree. Through a strange twist of fate, Jonny has been involved with some of the most momentous events in the Royal Family's, and Britain's history.
He will be noted in history, and rightly so. He has performed every one of the duties unexpectedly thrust upon him with dignity, grace, and a touch of humour. He has also stood by the side of his King, and supported Him through what must have been a traumatically emotional time.
Full marks for a job well done.
In my humble opinion ... One might easily feel that he was born for the specific roles he has, and is and will be, playing. This sort of thread of events, for our Jonny, could be beyond belief had it not been performed for all to witness. He is working amidst such grandeur and in so many roles. The stuff of which books are written.
Oh how I agree with you. I think the support given to The King by all his inner circle has been immense. I know you say Jonny’s training and leadership have brought him to the position he now holds but who could have foreseen the events of the last year. He has risen to everything thrown at him with hard work and calmness (well that’s how it looks don’t know what’s going on in his mind) and The King is reliant on him to keep things running smoothly which he regularly achieves. On visits he seems to know what The King requires before he does and The King is more relaxed because of it. What the King is going to do if Jonny moves on I don’t know because none of the other Equerries seem to do anything like Jonny does but we shall see.
Next opening of the Scottish Parliament wont be until May 2026, after the Scottish election.
Absolutely. I think the King recognizes he and the Queen are getting on in years, and so rely on a young, fit, intelligent and Diplomatic Equerry with a ready smile who looks good in uniform. In my view Jonny has become the King's closest Aide, and will be hugely missed. Things won't run as smoothly when a new Equerry eventually takes over, and the RRS will severely miss the world platform the Regiment and it's glorious uniform has had over the past year.
Indeed. Robes will be worn, I'm sure, even the Crown, now Charles is King, it won't have to accompany HM on a cushion as it did as PoW. Camilla may wear a Tiara and white gown.
A State Opening of the Parliament of the United Kingdom is scheduled to take place on 7 November 2023. King Charles III will open the fourth session of the 58th Parliament, which will probably be the last before the next general election.
It is a glorious uniform and the fact that it is worn by a tall dark haired handsome Officer brought it to the attention of the world. All I can say is thank you Royal Regiment of Scotland and thank you Lt Colonel Jonathan Thompson you have made the last 18 months wonderful
Going slightly off topic, but as a Strictly fan, whenever I see Kai Widdrington he reminds me so much of Jonny. Is it just me? Especially when Kai smiles broadly, it's just the height, broad chest, being a manly man yet such an elegant dancer, the dark hair, pure Jonny! Especially this year partnering Angela Rippon, the show's oldest contestant ever, and Kai treats her with such respect, it reminds me of Jonny and Queen Elizabeth. 
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Cometh the hour, cometh the man as we say. It won't have been easy being the only kiltie amongst all the suits outwith Scotland but his nature has made it look so. I've noticed that Rosslyn is often a tall, quiet steadying presence beside him, and he will understand.
It's certainly made many more people aware of the Monarchy's work and hopefully brought a little comfort to the King as a reminder of his beloved Balmoral, and the happy times he's had there.
The Braemar Gathering will be featured on Countryfile next Sunday just after 6pm. We might catch another glimpse of Jonny courtesy of BBC One cameras.
Well, it may be that President Zelenskyy is very well versed in 19th century history and that of the Argyll and Sutherlanders regiment OR (and I think this is much more likely) the British Armed Forces (and other NATO countries like the US and Canada) started providing training for Ukrainian armed forces after Putin’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014. One of the reasons that the Ukrainian armed forces were able to mount such a robust defense in 2022 was that they had been trained up since 2014 and given a lot of support from countries like the UK. So my thought is maybe President Zelenskyy was thinking of all that training and assistance in the present day since 2015 from UK Armed forces rather than a battle from over 100 years ago, when he went out of his way to greet a serving British Army officer. Heck, maybe Johnny was even one of the officers involved in the training at some point. Anyway…
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This is one of my favorite photos from the visit to France. Look at the happiness on Jonny's face!
