Copyright vanityfair
Joining the King and Queen for their historic outing, which saw them meet with Pope Leo and King Charles become the first British monarch to pray with the Pope since the Reformation, Ollie was by Camilla’s side for her tour of the Pauline Chapel. The 31-year-old was dressed in full military garb, having served in The Rifles following his graduation from Sandhurst in 2018. Queen Camilla has been colonel-in-chief of The Rifles since 2020, when she succeeded the late Prince Philip in the role. Major Plunket has been Camilla’s personal equerry since November 2022, a testament to the exemplary record he showed during his military service. He first made headlines in November 2022 at the Royal Carol Service, and has since spent his days looking after the Queen’s diary and her daily engagements – to the delight of many. From joining the Prince and Princess of Wales to welcome the Macrons to Windsor during the French state visit in July to going full Disney Prince and decorating a Christmas tree at Clarence House to support a children’s charity, it seems Major Plunket turns heads wherever he goes, as any hot equerry should. One cannot join the royal inner circle through virtue of dashing good looks, however, and Plunket has been dedicated to a life of service long before he even joined the Armed Forces. While on his gap year at the age of 18, the intrepid adventurer rode a Yamaha 600cc Tenere motorbike 24,500 miles from Argentina to Alaska to raise £100,000 (roughly $133,300) for the Fisher House Foundation, which provides accommodation for the loved ones of military patients who are undergoing treatment at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. “I’ve ridden some amazing roads with incredible scenery. I have enjoyed the challenge immensely but always in my mind was the fact that I was doing this for the troops and their families,” Plunket said at the time. “I can’t imagine what it must be like for a family to receive the news that their loved one has been injured on duty and is now in hospital in Birmingham, miles from where they live.” Following his gap year, Plunket enrolled on a Military Scholarship to Exeter University, where he read Arts, Politics, and Philosophy from 2013 to 2016. In 2017, he started at Sandhurst, where he followed in the footsteps of Prince William, Prince Harry, and the Duke of Edinburgh by completing the gruelling military training. His career with The Rifles has seen Plunket hold appointments including department manager and military operations manager, serving in Iraq, Canada, Liberia, and Italy during his tenure. Before his role with Queen Camilla, he worked with the United Nations on a number of projects. As for his personal interests? Plunket is a big sportsman, finding time to surf, ski and play golf when he’s not supporting the royal family, as Tatler reports. Perhaps it’s time to start practicing your swing. Originally published in Tatler
