# Does Queen Elizabeth have her own private medical staff? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 27, 2018, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-queen-elizabeth-have-her-own-private-medical-staff/820367 "2018-08-27T16:13:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2018, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-queen-elizabeth-have-her-own-private-medical-staff/820367/1 "2018-08-27T16:13:33Z")
The Queen seems to be in relatively good health, but given her wealth and advancing age you might expect her to have a private doctor close by and on call 24 X 7 in case she suddenly falls ill. Is that in fact the case, or would they have to call somebody and wait for them to get to the palace to administer medical support? I doubt they would call the equivalent of 911 (I think’s it’s 999 in the UK). Googling this didn’t give me a good answer. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2018, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-queen-elizabeth-have-her-own-private-medical-staff/820367/2 "2018-08-27T16:20:35Z")
recently a Dr was killed while riding a bike and he was a Dr. for her , I think in the past. Also when the latest batch of her great grandkids were born from William/Kate they had 2 OB/Gyn Drs. deliver them . They said those 2 Drs. also worked for the Queen. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2018, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-queen-elizabeth-have-her-own-private-medical-staff/820367/3 "2018-08-27T16:24:40Z")
I would guess that they probably either have an on-site doctor, or the support staff is trained in emergency techniques and the staff doc lives nearby. Plus that part of London is pretty close to hospitals, and I suspect she’d be either airlifted or they’d clear the streets for the ambulance in short order. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2018, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-queen-elizabeth-have-her-own-private-medical-staff/820367/4 "2018-08-27T16:25:03Z")
Re. the British Royal family members having “their” doctors: Yes, but that’s simply a case of those being their doctors along with being the doctors of several thousand other people. I expect that Her Majesty and any member of her family will have their assigned GPs and specialists like anybody else who uses the British medical system, whether it be NHS or private clinics, but multiple medical teams (shifts, at the very least) waiting and waiting and waiting for Her Majesty to feel a bit off while other people wait in the ER… I think Mr Dibble would have heard the screams, and he lives in South Africa. The first ones who probably wouldn’t be interested are the medics themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2018, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-queen-elizabeth-have-her-own-private-medical-staff/820367/5 "2018-08-27T17:12:13Z")
A long time ago I read or heard (in a typical weird Jewishpride context) that a mohel–a specialist, after all–was called in for Prince Charles for that particular procedure. Which sounds like a total crock, since any Ob/Gyn can do that with his eyes closed (maybe not literally). ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2018, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-queen-elizabeth-have-her-own-private-medical-staff/820367/6 "2018-08-27T17:16:38Z")
Well, for that matter, how about the White House? Secret Service obviously are highly trained in emergency first aid. FWIW, it is reported that the Presidential limo always has on-board a bag or whatever of type-matched blood for POTUS. Also, as suggested above for the Queen, along the route of every motorcade all ERs are notified and pre-planned for emergencies just for that. And of course a traveling ambulane or three in the motorcade. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2018, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-queen-elizabeth-have-her-own-private-medical-staff/820367/7 "2018-08-27T17:36:15Z")
So I guess she doesn’t have a dedicated medical staff on call 24 hours a day in residence, but there are likely people around her trained to deal with medical emergencies and medical staff available 24 hours day in nearby hospitals, just like any other hospital with an ER, to assist when she arrives. Ignorance fought. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2018, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-queen-elizabeth-have-her-own-private-medical-staff/820367/8 "2018-08-27T17:37:22Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > recently a Dr was killed while riding a bike and he was a Dr. for her , I think in the past. He was a [homeopathic “doctor”](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2018/08/16/queen-elizabeths-doctor-peter-fisher-killed-riding-bike/1006314002/), so the Queen is probably better off now. And you don’t want a doctor who treats you and nobody else. Their skills and knowledge are just going to deteriorate if they aren’t actually practicing medicine all the time. You want a doctor who other doctors send their patients to when they can’t figure out what’s going on. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2018, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-queen-elizabeth-have-her-own-private-medical-staff/820367/9 "2018-08-27T17:46:08Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > And you don’t want a doctor who treats you and nobody else. Their skills and knowledge are just going to deteriorate if they aren’t actually practicing medicine all the time. You want a doctor who other doctors send their patients to when they can’t figure out what’s going on. I’d have to think that there must be a happy medium there, as a personal doctor would be able to have intimate knowledge of the patient’s entire history and symptoms which a non-personal doctor might not be able to keep in mind. Perhaps a doctor that treats other people as their time permits but drops everything to see the Queen? ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2018, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-queen-elizabeth-have-her-own-private-medical-staff/820367/10 "2018-08-27T20:46:17Z")
No doubt the Palace, as a big organisation, has on-site medical staff for first aid and initial triage for the staff or the family, but the Queen has her own private doctors. If they need to go to hospital, it’s usually the King Edward VII Hospital for Officers, which is private, or for maternity they’ve used the private wing at St Mary’s, which is an NHS hospital. In both cases, of course they’re not the sole patienrs for either: the doctors concerned combine both private and NHS practice. > **[Medical Household](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_Household)** > > The Medical Household is the medical part of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. > It mainly comprises a range of Physicians and Surgeons to the Sovereign and to the Royal Household. None have more than a nominal or occasional role, although the Apothecaries to the Household at Windsor and London hold daily surgeries, and other apothecaries receive smaller salaries and all others receive only an honorarium. > The Coroner to the King/Queen's household investigates deaths with... ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2018, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-queen-elizabeth-have-her-own-private-medical-staff/820367/11 "2018-08-27T21:16:57Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > A long time ago I read or heard (in a typical weird Jewishpride context) that a mohel–a specialist, after all–was called in for Prince Charles for that particular procedure. > > Which sounds like a total crock, since any Ob/Gyn can do that with his eyes closed (maybe not literally). Well, the _mohel_ was cheaper. He only worked for tips. Thank you, thank you, I’ll be here all week. Try the veal. ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2018, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-queen-elizabeth-have-her-own-private-medical-staff/820367/12 "2018-08-28T01:10:05Z")
There are a variety of specialists who hold medical appointments to the Queen or the Royal Household - Physician to the Queen, Surgeon to the Queen, Orthopaedic Surgeon to the Queen, Physician to the Royal Houshold, etc. They are all leading consultants in their field, with busy private and public practices. The appointments are largely honorary, with actual service provision arising only occasionally. The current Physician to the Queen is Professor Huw Thomas FRCP, whose day job is as a consultant physician at St Mary’s Hospital London, and Director of the Family Cancer Clinic at St. Mark’s Hospital. Apart from providing consultant physician services as required, his role also involves advising on who should be appointed to other positions in the medical household. There are two Apothecaries to the Household, one in London and one in Windsor, and they run daily or near-daily GP clinics at Buckingham Palace and at Windsor. So there are GPs in attendance at both places for at least a couple of hours on most days. Note, however, that the Queen is often not in attendance at either place - she may be at Sandringham or Balmoral, for example. There is, I think, a full-time nurse on the staff at Buckingham Palace. When the Queen travels abroad, her entourage normally includes a medical officer, traditionally a surgeon from the medical service of the Royal Navy. So she is well-positioned to have her wounds treated, and to receive advice on the transmission of venereal diseases. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2018, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-queen-elizabeth-have-her-own-private-medical-staff/820367/13 "2018-08-28T01:19:19Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > A long time ago I read or heard (in a typical weird Jewishpride context) that a mohel–a specialist, after all–was called in for Prince Charles for that particular procedure. > > Which sounds like a total crock, since any Ob/Gyn can do that with his eyes closed (maybe not literally). I have never heard of an OB/GYN performing a circumcision. They are responsible for maternal health and delivering babies, they don’t treat babies. A paediatrician or GP would do the circumcision. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2018, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-queen-elizabeth-have-her-own-private-medical-staff/820367/14 "2018-08-28T03:30:25Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > A long time ago I read or heard (in a typical weird Jewishpride context) that a mohel–a specialist, after all–was called in for Prince Charles for that particular procedure. > > Which sounds like a total crock, since any Ob/Gyn can do that with his eyes closed (maybe not literally). Pediatricians usually do the newborn circumcisions; urologists perform them on older children or adults. However, if this story is true, I actually find it believable because very few non-Jewish or Muslim British men are circumcised. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2018, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-queen-elizabeth-have-her-own-private-medical-staff/820367/15 "2018-08-28T03:33:10Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Well, for that matter, how about the White House? Secret Service obviously are highly trained in emergency first aid. > > FWIW, it is reported that the Presidential limo always has on-board a bag or whatever of type-matched blood for POTUS. > > Also, as suggested above for the Queen, along the route of every motorcade all ERs are notified and pre-planned for emergencies just for that. And of course a traveling ambulane or three in the motorcade. There’s a DC pharmacy which is contracted to fill prescriptions for Congresspeople and their families; IDK if the POTUS and family use it too. It sounds like it’s one component of a concierge medical practice. > **[An old-school pharmacy hand-delivers drugs to Congress, a little-known perk...](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/old-school-pharmacy-hand-delivers-drugs-congress-little-known-perk-powerful)** > > WASHINGTON — If House Speaker Paul Ryan comes down with the flu this winter, he and his security detail won’t be screeching off toward the closest CVS for his Tamiflu. Instead, he can just walk downstairs and pick up the pills, part of a little-known... I’m assuming that the same thing is done in England, via the NHS, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2018, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-queen-elizabeth-have-her-own-private-medical-staff/820367/16 "2018-08-28T03:57:26Z")
> [@FinsToTheLeft](#): > > I have never heard of an OB/GYN performing a circumcision. They are responsible for maternal health and delivering babies, they don’t treat babies. A paediatrician or GP would do the circumcision. As to newborns, it’s common in the US for the obstetrician to perform the circumcision. Ours had done a huge number of them. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2018, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-queen-elizabeth-have-her-own-private-medical-staff/820367/17 "2018-08-28T04:05:47Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Pediatricians usually do the newborn circumcisions; urologists perform them on older children or adults. > > However, if this story is true, I actually find it believable because very few non-Jewish or Muslim British men are circumcised. But was Prince Charles actually circumcised? It is quite rare for British men of that age, I believe. And we have photographic evidence that both of his sons are NOT circumcised. But generally, sons match to their father in this respect. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2018, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-queen-elizabeth-have-her-own-private-medical-staff/820367/18 "2018-08-28T04:33:22Z")
It’s also possible that it needed to be done for medical reasons, although a mohel probably wouldn’t do that. ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2018, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-queen-elizabeth-have-her-own-private-medical-staff/820367/19 "2018-08-28T05:38:48Z")
> [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](#): > > But was Prince Charles actually circumcised? It is quite rare for British men of that age, I believe. > > And we have photographic evidence that both of his sons are NOT circumcised. But generally, sons match to their father in this respect. Circumcision is, or used to be, a class marker in the UK - the further up the social scale you went, the greater the prevalence of male circumcision. This started to change from about the 1970s onwards, but when Prince Charles was born, in 1948, it was very much a thing. He was reportedly circumcised by Dr. Lionel Snowman, who was not only a _mohel_ but also a medical doctor (and indeed the medical officer to the Initiation Society, which represents mohels in Great Britain). All the male members of the royal family of Prince Charles’ generation and before were circumcised. Reportedly, Prince Charles favoured having his own sons circumcised, but his then wife demurred. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2018, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-queen-elizabeth-have-her-own-private-medical-staff/820367/20 "2018-08-28T12:42:43Z")
> [@UDS](#): > > When the Queen travels abroad, her entourage normally includes a medical officer, traditionally a surgeon from the medical service of the Royal Navy. So she is well-positioned to have her wounds treated, and to receive advice on the transmission of venereal diseases. Ha! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-queen-elizabeth-have-her-own-private-medical-staff/820367.md?page=2)