Royal Family’s intricate healthcare system explained: From NHS utilities to private facilities

The importance of having good doctors by your side and trusted hospital became evident during the recent pandemic. Irrespective of who you are and what part of the world you belong to, access to good quality healthcare is significant for everyone.

Needless to point out that these healthcare facilities must be top of their class when it comes to the Royal Family.

Here's what we know about who takes care of them and what healthcare for a royal looks like.

Royal Family: Who are their doctors and what hospitals do they visit?

The British Royal Family has always been a continuous champion of the UK's NHS but do they use it themselves? The answer is both more and less complicated than you’d expect. The Royals are understood to use the NHS occasionally but the decision to use the NHS is circumstantial.

When it comes to Royal healthcare, two things are considered the most - privacy and security - not just of the Royals but also the other patients. How their presence would affect or disrupt the workings of the care system and other patients is a key factor while choosing healthcare for Royals.

Hence, randomly waking up and deciding to avail any NHS facility isn’t as easy for the Royals as the British public.

Regardless, the Royals have used the NHS on multiple occasions. Before his death, Prince Philip was transferred to London’s St Bartholomew’s Hospital - run by Barts Health NHS Trust. Prince Harry’s hernia operation when he was 3-years-old was carried out at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children. Princess Margaret got her 1985 lung operation done at the Royal Brompton Hospital. Otherwise, the Royals have frequently opted for private wings in NHS Hospitals.

Who takes care of the Sovereign?

According to Town & Country Magazine, the sovereign and the royal family’s medical needs are taken care of by the Royal Medical Household. While the Royals can consult other physicians if they wish to, the members of the Royal Medical Household are the main physicians who are used. These physicians are NHS doctors who are at the top of their profession and also work privately. The details of the Royal Medical Household are not disclosed to the public and neither mentioned on their website.

King Charles’ surgery for an enlarged prostate, here’s what’s coming for him

The Royal Family is usually not keen on disclosing the names of the doctors who operate on Royals but they have done so many times in the past. Similarly, the details of King Charles’ upcoming surgery have not yet been revealed by the Palace but it’s likely that he will be taken to The London Clinic. This is the same hospital where Kate Middleton is also recuperatingfor up to two weeks after abdominal surgery last week.

King Charles may be put on bed rest for 10-14 days as well after his surgery, reports Hello! Magazine. King’s surgery is a common yet significant medical intervention that may require him to be in the hospital for 1-2 nights. Such postoperative care is a standard practice to ensure a full and uncomplicated recovery. The monarch will be advised to work minimally from the comfort of his home.

Read more:

⋙ This psychic predicted King Charles’ health scare: What else does she see for the Royal Family?

⋙ King Charles and Kate in hospital - the two 'highly unusual' royal announcements explained

⋙ King Charles’ ‘deliberate’ reason to announce his surgery just after Kate’s, expert explains

Sources used:

Town & Country Magazine: Everything You Need to Know About Royal Healthcare

Hello! Magazine: King Charles expected to be placed on prolonged bed rest following surgery