King honours his royal docs for service amid most cancers remedy
The King has personally honoured his top royal doctors for personal service amid his treatment for cancer.
Dr Michael Dixon, head of the Royal Medical Household, and Charles’s GP Dr Fiona Butler – known as the Apothecary to the King – have been recognised for their personal service.
The honours come in the wake of the King and the Princess of Wales‘s double cancer diagnosis this year, with Kate announcing on Friday evening she will be making an unexpected appearance at Trooping the Colour on Saturday.
Dr Dixon has been made a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) and Dr Butler is now a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO).
Awards of the Royal Victorian Order are in the King’s gift and are bestowed independently of Downing Street to those who have served the monarch or the Royal Family in a personal way.
The King has personally honoured his top medical team amid his treatment for cancer
Dr Michael Dixon, head of the Royal Medical Household, has been made a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO)
Charles’s GP Dr Fiona Butler – known as the Apothecary to the King – is now a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO)
It was with the help of his doctors that the King was able to visit Normandy for the 80th anniversary for the D-Day landings on June 6.
Dr Dixon is responsible for overseeing the members of the medical profession entrusted to care for the Royal Family.
His appointment as head of the Royal Medical Household following Charles’s accession drew criticism due to his outspoken support for alternative therapies such as faith healing and herbalism.
When he was the Prince of Wales, Charles was a passionate campaigner for integrated health which involves combining evidence-based, conventional medicine with a holistic approach to healthcare.
Dr Dixon’s previous career titles include a fellow of the Royal College of GPs, a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and the chairman of the College of Medicine.
His current role, head of the royal medical household, involves managing the medical team around the royals and being present at the births and deaths of family members, was created by Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth in 1973.
However, although the role itself has been around for a long time, Dr Dixon may be the most modern and progressive person to hold the position since it was created, and has previously written papers citing data which suggests ‘the effects of homeopathy may be real’.
Dr Michael Dixon, who has previously advocated for homeopathic remedies, is the head of the royal medical household
King Charles has previously faced criticism for his support of homeopathic practices, and was appointed patron of the Faculty of Homeopathy in 2017.
The Sunday Times reported in 2023 that the physician has written papers suggesting Christian healers may be able to help chronically ill patients, despite this being an ‘unfashionable’ assertion.
In another paper he cited potential benefits of homeopathy, and referred to an experiment that suggested Indian herbal remedies which had been ‘ultra-diluted’ with alcohol might be able to cure cancer.
Dr Dixon has rallied against the suggestion that homeopathy is just a placebo and insists there is not scientific data to back this up.
The medical profession in the UK and around the world is still very much divided on homeopathic remedies. In 2017, they were banned for prescription on the NHS, with then-chief executive Lord Stevens of Birmingham describing them as a ‘misuse of scarce NHS funds’ because they were simply a ‘placebo’.
However, Dr Dixon appeared to be one of many medics who opposes Lord Stevens’ view, and has previously suggested some homeopathic remedies should be available on the NHS.
The King has long been an advocate for homeopathic and alternative treatments, for which he has previously come under fire for. Pictured at the Culm Valley Integrated Centre for Health in Cullompton, Devon, in 2008
King Charles pictured at Culm Valley Integrated Centre for Health in Cullompton with Dr Dixon in 2008
The newspaper reported he has put his support behind calls from advocacy group the College of Medicine for treatments like aromatherapy and reflexology to be offered to NHS patients.
In 2010, he was a voice against MPs who were campaigning to end homeopathic treatments on the NHS, saying we must not ‘abandon’ people who are, so far, not being helped by scientific medicine.
Despite backlash against homeopathy from many in the medical profession, King Charles has long spoken of its potential benefits and has previously come under fire for his stance on the subject.
In 2017, when he was named patron of the Faculty of Homeopathy, the Good Thinking Society, an organisation which describes itself as ‘pro-science and anti-pseudoscience’, said the appointment was ‘obscene’.
Michael Marshall, the organisation’s director, told the Guardian at the time: ‘We have been reminded only recently that plenty of homeopaths claim to be able to treat autism and discourage vaccinations.
(From left) Prince George, Kate, Prince Louis, Prince William, Princess Charlotte, King Charles and Queen Camilla at Buckingham Palace for Trooping the Colour on June 17, 2023
King Charles is set to welcome the Princess of Wales back to public duties at the Trooping the Colour parade on Saturday. Pictured: Charles and Kate together in September 2021
‘If [King] Charles wants to have a genuine positive effect on the health of the nation he intends to one day rule, he should side against those who offer dangerously misleading advice, rather than fighting their corner.’
The King has also been embroiled in an historic dispute with Professor Edzard Ernst over his support of homeopathy – with Ernst once labelling him a ‘snake oil salesman’.
In 1993, King Charles founded the Foundation for Integrated Health, which was established to explore the combination of ‘safe, proven complementary therapies’ with modern medicine.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said last year: ‘Dr Dixon does not believe homoeopathy can cure cancer.
‘His position is that complementary therapies can sit alongside conventional treatments, provided they are safe, appropriate and evidence-based.’
Meanwhile Dr Butler works as a GP at Health Partners at Violet Melchett and as a clinical director of Brompton Health Primary Care Network.
She was awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) in the 2024 New Year Honours for her work as a clinical lead for social inclusion, mental health and the health of the homeless in west London.
March 22 – Kate reveals in a video that she is undergoing preventative chemotherapy
A stunning new portrait of the Princess of Wales taken at Windsor this week by Matt Porteous
Kate was last seen at a royal event attending church at Sandringham on December 25, 2023
Also honoured as an LVO is Michael Dooley for his role as Queen Camilla’s physician.
The honours for the doctors comes after the monarch, 75, is set to welcome the Kate, 42, back to public duties tomorrow at the Trooping the Colour parade.
He said he is ‘delighted’ that his daughter-in-law will be joining the royal family at Saturday’s event and is ‘much looking forward to all elements of the day’.
Kate who revealed back in March that she was undergoing ‘preventative chemotherapy’ for an undisclosed form of cancer, has been absent from public while undergoing treatment.
Charles, who was diagnosed with cancer in February, has just recently returned to public-facing duties while still receiving his own course of treatment for an undisclosed form of the disease.
The high-profile appearance to celebrate the King’s birthday on Saturday will also mark the first time the monarch and future Queen have been publicly seen together since undergoing their respective treatments.
