King Charles has personally honoured senior members of his medical team who have been involved in his cancer treatment, while he continues to receive care.
The monarch has recognised Dr Douglas Glass, his GP and apothecary to the King, along with physician Professor Richard Leach for their personal service to the Royal Family.
The honours come in the wake of both the King and Princess of Wales’s cancer diagnoses this year, with Charles maintaining nearly all his royal duties during treatment.
The awards were bestowed through the Royal Victorian Order, which is given independently of Downing Street to those who have served the monarch personally.
King Charles has personally honoured senior members of his medical team who have been involved in his cancer treatment
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Dr Glass, who previously served as Queen Elizabeth II’s apothecary, has been promoted from Lieutenant to Commander of the Royal Victorian Order.
He was the medical professional present at Balmoral Castle when Queen Elizabeth II passed away.
In his role as apothecary to the King, Dr Glass has been a key figure in Charles’s medical care during his cancer treatment.
The Royal Victorian Order awards are bestowed by the King personally to recognise those who have served the monarch or Royal Family in a direct capacity.
Professor Richard Leach has been appointed Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order for his service to the monarch.
He serves as a consultant physician at the private King Edward VII’s Hospital in central London, where members of the Firm have traditionally received treatment.
Prof Leach also holds the position of clinical director for pulmonary and critical care medicine at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital Trust.
His appointment recognises his role in the King’s medical care team during the monarch’s ongoing cancer treatment.
King Charles will continue treatment into 2025
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Dame Annabel Whitehead, who served as a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth II for approximately two decades until 2022, has also been recognised with royal honours.
She has been appointed Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, the highest accolade within the order.
Following King Charles’s accession to the throne, Dame Annabel took on the role of lady of the household, assisting the monarch in hosting formal events at Buckingham Palace.
Her appointment as Dame Grand Cross acknowledges her continued service to the Royal Family through the transition between monarchs.
