Hot equerry Johnny Thompson joins Labour grandees at Emily Benn's wedding

Emily Benn, Tony Benn’s granddaughter, tied the knot with Group RAF Captain James Niall Doyle at St Margaret's Church in London on Saturday, in a ceremony that drew a cross-section of public life from Labour ministers to cultural figures.

Among the guests were newly-married Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Thompson and his wife Olivia. Thompson, who now serves as King Charles' aide, first rose to prominence in 2022 for his role in royal public events following the late Queen's death and has since earned the nickname the 'hot equerry' after videos of him went viral online. Cherie Blair, Liz Kendall, and Health Minister Wes Streeting were also among those invited to the 12th‑century church, which sits on the grounds of Westminster Abbey. Academic and broadcaster Mary Beard, noted for sporting distinctive scarlet footwear, arrived with fellow guests as the ceremony approached.

Ms Benn, 35, who has carved out a political path of her own, stands as an independent representing the Bread Street ward since 2022, after earlier serving as a Croydon councillor under Labour in 2014. The Benn family’s political lineage stretches back more than a century, making her the fifth generation to be involved in public service. Her uncle, Hilary Benn, is the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland under Sir Keir Starmer's Labour government. Tony Benn, her grandfather, died in 2014 at age 88 after a career that began in 1950 and spanned decades of Labour leadership and parliamentary service. Great-grandparents and earlier forebears in the Benn lineage also held Liberal or Labour roles across the first half of the 20th century, underscoring the family’s long association with British public life.

Emily Benn arrived at St Margaret's Church with her father, Stephen, Viscount Stansgate, as part of a ceremony that many described as a vivid showcase of diplomatic and political ties within a public-facing society. The venue—St Margaret's, a historic church within the Westminster Abbey precinct—provided a backdrop that bridged parliamentary tradition and contemporary public life.