Dr Douglas Glass, Charles’ GP and the apothecary to the King, and Professor Richard Leach, his physician, have both been recognised. King Charles has personally honoured his senior medical staff who treated him for cancer for their personal service to the monarch and the royal family.
![[The King underwent a procedure at the London Clinic in January before he announced his cancer diagnosis the following month (Victoria Jones/PA)]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/27/07/fefb95a5b7865b94879693acb55834d0Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzMzNDE5MDM3-2.76523313.jpg)
Dr Douglas Glass, Charles’ GP and the apothecary to the King, and Professor Richard Leach, his physician, have both been recognised. It comes after a year in which both the King and and the Princess of Wales were diagnosed with cancer. The king continued nearly full duties while he was being treated by his medical team, while Kate is currently making a gradual return to her public engagements.
Dr Glass previously worked among the royal family, having served as Queen Elizabeth II’s apothecary in her later years. He was present at Balmoral when she died in September 2022. He has been appointed a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (RVO), having already been awarded the role of Lieutenant.
RVO awards are issued without advice from the Prime Minister and recognise services to the sovereign and the royal family, often those who have served the monarch in a personal way. Commander is the third highest of these honours, and Lieutenant the fourth.
Prof Leach, a consultant physician at the King Edward VII’s Hospital in central London - where the royals have been treated for decades - was made Lieutenant of the RVO. He is also a physician at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital Trust, where he acts as a clinical director for pulmonary and critical care medicine.
