Princess of Wales is likely to hire the late Queen’s former equerry as her new private secretary
The Princess of Wales is ‘probably’ planning to hire the late Queen’s former equerry as her new private secretary.
Kate Middleton, 41, has reportedly asked Lt. Col. Tom White to join her at a public meeting so he can understand what the job entails before deciding whether to take on the role.
The father, 36, is a war hero who has served Afghanistan and helped prevent a bombing at a school in Helmand, before serving as Queen Elizabeth II’s equerry until her death.
A source said The Telegraph that Lt. Col. White has not yet been formally appointed private secretary to the mother of three, but is “likely” to be offered the job.
Kate has been without a private secretary for over a year, after her previous employee Hannah Cockburn-Logie left the role in 2022 for ‘personal reasons’.
Kate Middleton, 41, has reportedly asked Lt. Col. Tom White to join her at a public meeting so he can understand what the job entails before deciding whether to take on the role.
The 36-year-old father is a war hero who served in Afghanistan and helped prevent a school bombing in Helmand before serving as Queen Elizabeth II’s equerry until her death.
Kensington Palace typically employs private office staff from the civil service, government departments or promotions within its own households.
Lieutenant Colonel White’s appointment would be unusual for a number of reasons, including because he would be the first man to take the coveted position.
It was previously widely reported that ‘straightforward’ brand management expert Alison Corfield was in line to take on the role.
Instead, it appears that Kensington Palace has taken a different approach, perhaps signaling a return to tradition for the royal family.
This could also include Wales’ closer ties with the military – and Prince William’s late grandmother.
Lieutenant Colonel White joined Buckingham Palace in 2020 as the late Queen’s equerry – a role that required him to remain at the monarch’s side during her final years.
He joined the Royal Marines in 2007 and has extensive experience of the elite commando force, with one source previously describing him as one of the best Royal Marines officers they had ever met.
A source told The Telegraph that Lt Col White has not yet been formally appointed as the mother-of-three’s private secretary but is ‘likely’ to be offered the job.
Kate has been without a private secretary for over a year, after her previous employee Hannah Cockburn-Logie left the role in 2022 for ‘personal reasons’
Lieutenant Colonel White joined Buckingham Palace in 2020 as the late Queen’s equerry – a role that required him to remain at the monarch’s side during her final years
The father previously served as military aide to Major General Matt Holmes, Commanding General of the Royal Marines and has also held a post at Navy Command in Portsmouth.
He also helped avert tragedy in Helmand in 2009 as a member of 42 Commando, after the Taliban set up an explosive trap in a school.
Wires for the device, which would be activated by a pressure plate that would go off if the padlocked schoolroom door were broken, were spotted by the elite force in the nick of time.
Then, at the age of 22, Lieutenant White, the commander of 7 Troop, said: ‘It turns your stomach to think what could have happened if we hadn’t found the bombs. These people knew they could have blown a lot of kids into the air – and they didn’t care.
The last private secretary to the Princess of Wales took up the role in May 2020 and held the position for two years before stepping down in 2022 for ‘personal reasons’.
‘I have a rather low opinion of someone who would bomb a school. They don’t value young life at all.’
Lieutenant Colonel White appeared at the Princess of Wales’ symposium at the Design Museum in London last week.
The last private secretary to the Princess of Wales took up the role in May 2020 and held the position for two years before stepping down in 2022 for ‘personal reasons’.
A source at Kensington Palace said: ‘Hannah is a fantastic, dynamic leader. Loyal and a skilled diplomat.’
Kate no longer has a private secretary since, but is accompanied on a number of appointments and tours by her assistant private secretary Natalie Barrows.