Over the weekend (8 November), several members of the royal family gathered for the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
This year, the festival commemorated the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and the event was hosted by Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham.
The festival saw performances from the likes of Sir Rod Stewart, Sam Ryder and Keala Settle, as well as music performed by the Central Band of the RAF, the RAF Squadronaires and the Band of HM Royal Marines.
Those in attendance included King Charles III, Queen Consort Camilla, Kate Middleton and Prince George, as well as the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
The crowd stood as the family entered to a fanfare by trumpeters and took their seats in the royal box on Saturday evening.
Kate, who was sitting next to George, donned a black dress with a white collar by Alessandra Rich with an HMS Glasgow brooch and earrings belonging to the late Queen to pair.
Her dress was adorned with a handmade poppy created out of silk, glass and other natural materials by Izzy Ager, of Lock and Co, who has recently graduated from the Royal School of Needlework.
The official Instagram account for the royal family later shared several snaps from the event, including one which featured the eight royals along with a ‘mystery man standing behind Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who appeared to be ‘staring’ at Kate during the appearance.
After catching light of the photo, many royal fans rushed online to question who said individual was as well as share their speculations over who he may be.
One social media user questioned: “Who is the guy in the upper left is making a face at Catherine?”
“Who’s the guy behind the Duke of Gloucester?” echoed a second, while a third wondered: “Who’s the guy staring at Catherine?”
“Bodyguard,” theorised a fourth, while a fifth penned: “Why does he have the medals etc? He looks annoyed.”
Another speculated: “The Princess of Wales’s private secretary.”
And a final royal fan wrote: “I wondered also as he was watching her.”
So, who actually is this man?
It’s none other than Lieutenant Colonel Tom White, who is indeed Kate’s private secretary.
Lt Col White joined the royal household back in 2020 as the late Queen’s Squire, a position he held until her passing on September 8, 2022. He is notably the first Royal Marines commando to have ever held this title.
According to reports, Kate invited White to accompany her to a public engagement in 2023. Following this event, he was appointed to the household staff of the Prince and Princess of Wales.
This appointment came after the departure of Kate’s trusted aide, Hannah Cockburn-Logie, in October 2022, who had served as the Princess’s private secretary for two years.
Within the royal family, the private secretary functions much like a chief of staff, overseeing the smooth operation of a royal’s daily schedule – from coordinating official engagements to preparing detailed briefings for meetings.
Private secretaries also accompany senior royals at public appearances, typically remaining a few feet away to monitor security and interactions with the public.
