King honours his royal doctors for their personal service amid cancer treatment

The King has personally honoured his top medical team amid his treatment for cancer.

Dr Michael Dixon, head of the Royal Medical Household, and Charles’s GP Dr Fiona Butler – otherwise known as the Apothecary to the King – have been recognised by Charles for their personal service to the monarch and the royal family.

The honours come in the wake of the King and the Princess of Wales’s double cancer diagnosis this year, and as Kate prepares to return briefly to the public spotlight at Trooping the Colour on Saturday.

Kate, in a candid message updating the nation on Friday, revealed she is “making good progress” but has “good days and bad days”, is “not out of the woods yet” and is facing a few more months of treatment.

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), with the accolades announced on the King’s official birthday.

Awards of the Royal Victorian Order are in the King’s gift and are bestowed independently of Downing Street to people who have served the monarch or the royal family in a personal way.

Dr Dixon and the King have known one another for decades, and he is responsible for overseeing the eminent 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.

In 2023, Buckingham Palace set out the doctor’s beliefs to The Sunday Times, saying: “Dr Dixon does not believe homeopathy can cure cancer.

“His position is that complementary therapies can sit alongside conventional treatments, provided they are safe, appropriate and evidence-based.”

As the Prince of Wales, Charles was a passionate campaigner for integrated health, raising the profile of combining evidence-based, conventional medicine with an holistic approach to healthcare.

Dr Dixon’s previous roles include a practising GP, a fellow of the Royal College of GPs, a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, former chairman of NHS Alliance and the chairman of the College of Medicine.

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 homeless health in west London.

Royal doctors have been carefully checking on the 75-year-old King since they gave him the go ahead to resume public-facing duties in April despite his continued treatment.

An overseas trip to Normandy for the D-Day commemorations has been among his high-profile engagements, with an appearance at Trooping the Colour set for this weekend to mark his official birthday.

Charles’s daughter-in-law Kate, 42, had been out of the spotlight since the start of the year while she undergoes chemotherapy for an undisclosed cancer.

But she will take to a carriage with her children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis and appear on the Palace balcony to celebrate the King’s official birthday and support her family.

Also honoured as an LVO is Michael Dooley for his role as Queen Camilla’s physician.

Meanwhile, representatives from two financial investment firms have been recognised for their personal services to the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Nicholas Osler, partner in private client tax services at Smith and Williamson, was made an LVO, as was Richard Fitzalan Howard, senior adviser at Stonehage Fleming Investment Management.

Stonehage Fleming describes itself as an “adviser to many of the world’s leading families and wealth creators” working to “manage and protect their wealth”.

Smith and Williamson, rebranded as Evelyn Partners in 2022, offers investment management, accountancy and tax advisory services.

The late Queen’s personal wealth was said to be £370 million in 2022, while the King’s is estimated to be £610 million through inheritance, property and investing, according to The Sunday Times Rich List.

Reverend Kenneth MacKenzie, domestic chaplain to the King and minister of the Parish of Braemar and Crathie, has been made an LVO by Charles.

He was also domestic chaplain to the late Queen at Crathie Kirk, the church the royals attend while at the Balmoral estate in Aberdeenshire, and he was in attendance when the Queen’s coffin was at rest in the ballroom of Balmoral Castle following her death in September 2022.

The Prince of Wales’s former chief aide Jean-Christophe Gray, who served as William’s private secretary, has also been honoured and made an LVO.

He joined William in 2021 – the year after Megxit – and his three year stint included the launch of the prince’s Homewards project to tackle homelessness and spanned his transition to Prince of Wales and heir to the throne after the late Queen’s death.

Mr Gray, who was David Cameron’s former official spokesperson and on secondment from Whitehall, is now director general of delivery at the Cabinet Office and No 10.

His departure from Kensington Palace this spring came following news the Waleses were planning to restructure their household with a new chief executive.

Others honoured include former Master of the Horse Baron de Mauley, who rode in the King’s coronation procession.

He has been made a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO).

The Office of Master of the Horse dates back centuries and was originally responsible for the sovereign’s horses, carriages and travel arrangements.

Now largely ceremonial, the role remains titular head of the Royal Mews, which also looks after royal vehicles such as state Bentleys and carriages.

The Princess Royal’s dresser Veronica Cain has been awarded the Bar to the Royal Victorian Order (Silver) for her service to Anne.

The princess has been dubbed an accidental fashion icon for rewearing her wardrobe and sticking to the same style throughout the decades.