The latest addition to the Prince of Wales’ staff has now been revealed, with new equerry Mike Reynolds taking over the role from Rob Dixon – while also boasting two key things in common with his new employer

Just weeks after Prince William set many royal watchers heart’s racing by sporting a rugged new look complete with beard, the heir to the throne has officially revealed the identity of his new equerry – and it appears he’s sporting the exact same look himself.

Sqn Ldr Mike Reynolds was revealed to be the newest addition to the Prince of Wales’ staff on Wednesday, when he took over the role from Cmdr Rob Dixon who was returning to the Royal Navy after four years in the position.

Sqn Ldr Reynolds, who is on secondment from the RAF, is a seasoned helicopter pilot just like his new royal boss, and much like the senior royal’s bold Summer look, also sports impressive facial hair, albeit a lot darker and bushier than his employer’s.

William, 42 first unveiled his beard back in August, much to the delight of many royal fans, when he appeared looking distinctly bristled in a video appearance praising Team GB’s efforts at the Paris Olympics. After a few weeks of remaining clean shaven following the clip, he later sported facial hair for a second time while in uniform last week, as the Prince attended RAF Cranwell.

In his new role, Mike (pictured on the right at a charity event) will serve as Prince William ’s royal equerry, a special kind of personal assistant to a member of the royal family that helps them with their official duties and day to day tasks, The Sun reports. Among the long list of duties, equerries will typically assist with events such as meeting guests at the palace’s entrance, helping with private affairs and even working behind the scenes to stay out of the spotlight while helping with the smooth running of every aspect of a royal family member’s life.

While the duties are certainly a far cry from those typically expected of an RAF pilot, the job isn’t for the faint hearted, and requires a significant commitment and day to day versatility to help with the seamless running of a jam packed schedule. Although the specific salary for the position remains a mystery, we do know that last year, the Ministry of Defence shelled out over £500,000 on the salaries of all the equerries currently employed by the royal family.

The latest addition to the royal staff comes after Prince William revealed last week that he would “love to fly again”, after stepping away from his role as an RAF Search and Rescue pilot, as well as an East Anglia Air Ambulance pilot to focus fully on his royal duties.

In addition, it appears his eldest son Prince George has also been bitten by the flying bug, as the plane mad youngster enjoyed his first flying lesson this Summer, just a stone’s throw from his home in Windsor.