Here's How The Royal Family's Healthcare Really Works

Posted by Mittie Cheatwood on Monday, June 10, 2024

While the names of the doctors who treat the royal family aren't exactly a state secret, they aren't always made public. Of course, the head of the Royal Medical Household is usually revealed to the public, but other doctors who have tended to the royals over the years weren't always named. When Princess Catherine gave birth to Prince George, for instance, the palace never named her doctors. Ten years later, however, one of the physicians, Sir Marcus Setchell, admitted to The Telegraph that he assisted Catherine with the birth of George and was pretty nervous about treating a member of the royal family but reminded himself that, in the end, it was just another normal baby.

In the last couple of years before his death, Prince Philip spent plenty of time in hospitals, but the doctors who treated him weren't publicly named by Buckingham Palace. Then, of course, there's the monarch's personal physician. Everyone knew the name of Queen Elizabeth II's physician — Sir Huw Thomas, who also happened to be the head of the Royal Medical Household, but King Charles III opted not to reveal this information. The palace announced that Dr. Michael Dixon is now heading the Royal Medical Household, but later said that the king's personal physician's name would not be made public. This may or may not be because of the criticism Charles received for appointing Dixon, who is an advocate for homeopathic treatments.

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