Group Captain Peter Wooldridge Townsend, CVO, DSO, DFC and Bar, RAF (22 November 1914 – 19 June 1995) was Equerry to King George VI 1944–1952 and held the same position for Queen Elizabeth II 1952–1953.

He was born 1914 in Rangoon, Burma and educated at Haileybury School. He joined the Royal Air Force in 1933, and trained at Cranwell. He served in Training Command, and as a flying instructor at RAF Montrose. He was stationed at RAF Tangmere in 1937. By 1940, now a Squadron Leader, he was attached to No. 43 Squadron RAF. He was a Wing Commander on Night Operations, at RAF Hunsdon from 1941, and became Commanding Officer RAF Drew and No. 611 Squadron RAF, a Spitfire unit.

On July 17, 1941 he married (Cecil) Rosemary Pawle (1921–2004) with whom he had two sons, Giles (b. 1942) and Hugo (b. 1945). They divorced in 1952 and Rosemary later married John de László (son of the painter Philip de László) and became the third wife of the 5th Marquess Camden in 1978.